RouKo 


III. 


B    3    11M    2b3 


Ginn  &  Company 


John  Swett 


ALL   THE   YEAR    ROUND 

A  NATURE  READER 


PART   III:    SPRINQ 


FRANCES   L.  STRONG 

ST.    PAUL  TEACHERS'   TRAINING    SCHOOL 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 
GERTRUDE   A.  STOKER 

TEACHER     OF     DRAWING,    ST.     PAUL 


BOSTON,  U.S.A.,  AND  LONDON 

GINN    &    COMPANY,    PUBLISHERS 

1896 


Q.H53 

£7 


COPYRIGHT,  1896,  BY 
FRANCES    L.   STRONG 


ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


EDUCATION  DEPT- 


NOTE  TO  THE  TEACHER. 


IT  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  author  of  this  series  to  offer, 
or  even  suggest,  any  rules  for  its  use.  If  anything  is 
established  in  education,  it  is  the  fact  that  aside  from 
certain  underlying  principles  and  general  directions,  each 
teacher  must  be  a  rule  unto  herself.  The  methods  which 
the  author  and  her  colleagues  have  found  successful  might 
be  entirely  out  of  harmony  with  an  equally  good  system  in 
some  other  city.  It  is  to  be  presumed,  however,  that  if  this 
series  of  nature -stories  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
received  with  favor  by  the  educational  public,  it  will  occa- 
sionally find  its  way  into  the  hands  of  some  teachers  who 
are  not  familiar  with  nature -work  as  developed  in  large 
cities,  and  well-organized  school  systems.  To  these  it  may 
be  interesting  and  helpful  to  know  just  "how  it  has  been 
done "  in  the  schools  out  of  which  these  stories  grew,  and 
in  which  they  have  been  used.  Indeed,  by  way  of  com- 
parison and  suggestion,  it  may  also  be  of  assistance  to  those 
who  have  passed  through  the  experimental  stage  and  have 
wrought  out  a  system  of  their  own. 

It  has  been  the  custom  in  the  St.  Paul  public  schools  to 
pursue  the  following  plan  : 

Materials.  —  The  teacher  goes  out  with  her  pupils  to 
collect  the  materials  referred  to  in  the  lessons,  gathering 

5*1257 


iv  Note  to  the   Teacher. 

enough  to  allow  each  pupil  one  specimen.  Animals  and 
plants  are  kept  alive  in  the  schoolroom  to  enable  all  to 
study  their  growth  and  habits. 

After  the  material  is  at  hand,  the  development  of  a  spe- 
cific lesson  is  divided  (though  not  formally  and  rigidly)  into 
five  parts. 

I.  Morning  Talk.  —  The  work  of  the  day  is  begun  with  a 
morning  talk  based  either  upon  one  of  the  natural  objects, 
or  upon  a  geographical  topic,  according  to  the  season. 

If  an  animal,  a  plant,  or  a  stone  be  the  subject  of  the 
lesson,  pains  are  taken  to  see  that  each  child  is  provided 
with  a  specimen.  By  skillful  questioning,  statements  are 
drawn  from  the  children  concerning  the  facts  the  teacher 
wishes  observed.  New  words  are  occasionally  suggested  and 
written  upon  the  blackboard,  and  their  frequent  use  is  re- 
quired throughout  the  lesson.  In  studying  objects,  it  has, 
of  course,  been  found  advisable  to  consider  them  as  belong- 
ing to  some  great  family,  making  comparisons,  and  finding 
resemblances  and  differences.  Children  readily  find  this 
family  element  in  all  things  studied. 

II.  Drawing.  —  The  observation    lesson   is   followed  by  a 
drawing   lesson    upon   the    subject    studied.      The    child    has 
already  been  supplied  with  the  plant,  or  animal.     Each  child 
draws  his  specimen  carefully.     It  is  by  no  means  necessary 
for   the  teacher  herself  to  be  able  to  draw   in   order  to  get 
results.      Each   child   is   simply  required   to   reproduce   with 
his  pencil   just  what  he   sees,  just  as  he  sees  it.     Children 
illustrate  their  language   papers   on   flowers  with  water-colors 
or  pencil.     Work  in  free-hand  cutting  can  be  given  from  all 


Note  to  the   Teacher.  v 

objects,  such  as  bottles,  leaves,  animals,  etc.  Scissors  are 
used  for  this  cutting.  Modeling  in  clay  is  done  from  any 
object  that  will  correlate  with  the  other  work.  It  has  been 
found  that  in  connection  with  the  myths  there  is  a  great 
opportunity  to  develop  imagination  by  allowing  the  child  to 
illustrate  the  stories. 

III.  Spelling.  —  A  spelling  lesson  upon  the  new  and  diffi- 
cult words  will  follow. 

IV.  Reading.  —  The   child   is   now   ready  for  the   reading 
lesson   appropriate   to   the   subject. 

V.  Language.  —  Finally,  the  children  write  descriptions  of 
the  object  or  country  studied,  giving  free  expression  to  the 
facts  each  has  acquired. 

It  may  be  added  that  great  interest  may  be  excited  by 
introducing  into  the  number-work  problems  concerning  the 
subject  of  the  morning  talk. 

The  literature,  also,  holds  a  very  prominent  place  in  this 
nature-work.  The  following  list  suggests  poems  to  be  com- 
mitted to  memory,  and  stories  to  be  read  in  connection  with 
this  reader  : 

PLANTS. 

The   Dandelion Hiawatha 

The  Dandelion     . Parts  of  Lowell 

Shall  I   Go  and  Call  Them  Up  ? Susan  Coolidge 

Legend  of  the  Cowslip      .     . Sara  Wiltse 

Elderberry  Bush  ..........      Hans  Andersen 

The  Fern Harper's  Second  Reader 

Fairy  Land  of  Flowers Mara  Pratt 

Little  Flower  Folks  .  Mara  Pratt 


vi  Note  to  the   Teacher. 

TREES. 

Old  Pipes  the  Piper Frank  Stockton 

Baucis  and  Philemon Cooke's  Myths 

The  Walnut  Tree  that  Wanted  to  Bear  Tulips  .  Sara   Wiltse 

Origin  of  the  Laurel  Tree Cooke's  Myths 

Published  by  A.  FLANAGAN,  Chicago.     Price,  20  Cents. 

As  will  be  inferred  from  the  method  outlined  above,  the 
purpose  of  this  book  will  be  entirely  misconceived,  if  it  is 
looked  upon  merely  as  a  convenient  means  of  furnishing  new 
reading  matter  for  children  (although  it  is  sincerely  hoped 
that  it  will  do  this).  It  is  intended  also  to  stimulate  the 
thought,  enlarge  the  vocabulary,  and  open  the  eyes  of  the 
children  to  the  wonders  of  the  world  around  them. 

In  the  St.  Paul  public  schools  the  manuscript  of  this 
series  has  been  used  in  the  second  grade.  It  is  thought, 
however,  that  it  may  be  used  in  the  third,  and  even  the 
fourth,  with  equally  good  results. 

October  17,   1895. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PLANTS. 

PAGE 

1.  PUSSY  WILLOW          .  -3 

2.  PUSSY  WILLOW  (Poetry)        .  5 

3.  THE  LILAC  TWIG 

4.  THE  LIMA  BEAN   .  9 

5.  THE  HORSE-CHESTNUT  TWIG   .  .     n 

6.  THE  ELDERBERRY  BUDS       ;                                  '  13 

7.  THE  BEAN  PLANT     .  >     15 

8.  THE  STRAW,  THE  COAL,  AND  THE  BEAN    .  17 

9.  THE  PEA  VINE          .  •     20 

10.  THE  PEA  BLOSSOM 

11.  A  LAUGHING  CHORUS  (Poetry)  •     27 

12.  MOTHER  NATURE'S  BABY  FERNS  29 

13.  MARSH  MARIGOLD     .        .                          •  •     31 

14.  MAY  (Poetry)         .  34 

15.  THE  VIOLET       ...  -35 

1 6.  THE  YELLOW  VIOLET  (Poetry)     .                  .  3$ 

17.  HEPATICA  STORY       .  4° 

1 8.  HEPATICA  (Poetry)  42 

19.  THE  CARY  TREE  (Arbor  Day)  .     43 

20.  WHAT  KATE  HEARD  THE  FLOWERS  SAY    .  45 

21.  THE  TRILLIUM  ...  -47 

22.  THE  DANDELION    .         .  49 

23.  LEGEND  OF  THE  DANDELION    .  •     52 

24.  THE  DANDELION  (Poetry)     .  54 


viii  Table  of  Contents. 


25.  THE  ROBIN  (Perching)      .         ......     56 

26.  How  THE  ROBIN  GOT  HIS  RED  BREAST     ...         59 

27.  WHAT  ROBIN  TOLD  (Poetry)    ...  .     62 

28.  SPRING  IN  THE  APPLE  TREE        .....         63 

29.  THE  HUMMING  BIRD         .......     67 

30.  THE  WOODPECKER  (Climbing)     .  .  70 

31.  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  WOODPECKER          .  .73 

32.  THE  DUCK  (Swimming)         ......  76 

33.  THE  HEN  (Scratching)  ....  .78 

34.  THE  SNIPE  (Wading)    ...  .81 

35.  JACK  AND  THE  OSTRICH  (Running)  .  .         .     83 

36.  THE  OWL  (Prey)  .....  .  87 

37.  THE  PIGEON  AND  THE  OWL  (Poetry)      .         .  .90 

ANIMALS. 

38.  THE  FROGS'  EGGS          .        ......  92 

39.  FROGS  AND  TOADS    ........  94 

40.  THE  TURTLES        ........  96 


SPRING, 


SPRING. 


1.     PUSSY    WILLOW. 


A  LL  winter  long  Mother  Nature  had  sent  her 
**  winds  to  rock  the  babies'  cradles.  Back  and 
forth  they  had  rocked,  lulling  the  baby  buds  to  sleep. 

Mother  Nature  did  not  want  them  to  waken, 
for  Jack  Frost  was  king  outside.  She  feared  that 
her  babies  would  freeze. 

In  the  fall  she  had  tucked  them  up  snugly  and 
given  them  a  warm  coverlet  to  keep  out  the  cold. 
So  the  baby  buds  had  slept  soundly  all  winter. 

At  last  it  was  time  to  awaken.  Mother  Nature 
sent  her  March  winds  to  rouse  the  little  buds. 

There  was  another  king  of  the  air.  The  beautiful 
golden  sun  was  king  now. 


Pussy    Willozv. 


Mother  Nature  knew  that  the  new 
king  loved   the  babies.     He  would 
help  them  to  grow  large  and  strong. 
She    told    this    king    where    the 
children    were,    and    asked    him    to 
waken  them.  So  one  bright  morning, 
the  king  sends  down  his  warm  rays. 
They  tap  on  the   brown  covers;   they 
send  the  sap  up  into  the  buds. 

Soon  Mother  Nature  hears  calls  from  the  cradles. 
She  looks  and  finds  that  her  babies  are  stirring. 
How  glad  she  is  ! 

Soon  the  little  pussies  ask,  "  May  we  come  out  ?  " 
"  Yes,"  says    Mother  Nature,  "  if  you  will  wear 
your  fur  hoods.     It  is  very  cold  out  here." 

Some  of  the  buds  wish  to  go  with  nothing  on 
their  heads,  but  at  last  they  all  put  on  their  gray 
pussy  hoods  and  come  out.  At  night  it  is  so 
cold  that  they  are  very  glad  they  wore  them. 

What  a  time  they  have  rocking  on  the  brown 
branches.  Up  and  down,  here  and  there,  they 
rock  in  the  bright  sunshine.  How  many  brothers 
and  sisters  there  are ! 

King  Sun  is  a  good  friend  to  them.  He  helps 
them  every  day  to  grow  longer  and  longer. 
These  pussies  are  called  catkins. 


2.     PUSSY    WILLOW. 


!  you  pussy  willow, 
Pretty  little  thing, 
Coming  in  the  sunshine 
Of  the  merry  spring. 
Tell  me,  tell  me,  pussy ! 
For  I  want  to  know, 
Where  it  is  you  come  from, 
How  it  is  you  grow." 

"  Now,  my  little  children, 
If  you  look  at  me 
And  my  little  sisters, 
I  am  sure  you  '11  see 
Tiny  little  houses, 
Out  of  which  we  peep, 
When  we  first  are  waking 
From  our  winter's  sleep. 

"  As  the  days  grow  milder 
Out  we  put  our  heads, 
And  we  lightly  move  us 
In  our  little  beds  ; 

5 


Pussy    Willow. 

And  when  warmer  breezes 
Of  the  springtime  blow, 
Then  we  little  pussies 
All  to  catkins  grow." 

Elinor  Smith's  Songs  and  Games  for  Little  Ones.    OLIVER  DITSON,  Publ. 


3.     THE   LILAC   TWIG. 


T^HE  little  lilac  buds  had  been 
*      waiting  a   long  time  for  Mr. 
Southwind.     Mother   Nature  had  told 
the  buds  that  when  Mr.  Southwind  came 
along,  they  might  come  out. 

All  winter,  these  little  buds  had  been  kept 
warm.  They  had  warm  brown  scales,  which 
kept  out  the  cold. 

These  scales  turn  into  leaves,  but  they  were 
hardened  to  protect  the  buds. 

After  Mr.  Southwind  came,  the  buds  began  to 
swell.  They  grew  larger  and  larger.  They  unfolded, 
and  the  green  leaves  came  out. 

What  do  you  think  was  in  some  of  the  buds 
with  the  leaves  ?  A  flower  bud. 

One  bud  grew  on  one  side  of  the  twig,  and 
another  grew  just  across  or  opposite.  So  we  say 
that  the  lilac  buds  grow  opposite.  Do  all  buds 
grow  in  this  way  ? 

The  lilac  has  two  buds  at  the  end  of  the  twig. 

The  twig,  on  which  these  buds  grew,  had  a  light 


8  The  Lilac   Twig. 

brown  coat  outside.  Inside  this  brown  coat  was 
a  green  one.  Then  there  was  a  third  coat,  which 
was  white.  The  brown  coat,  with  its  linings  of 
green  and  white,  made  the  bark  of  the  twig. 

Do  you  know  what  was  inside  these  coats? 
There  was  the  hard  wood,  and  in  the  center,  the 
soft  pith. 

There  were  many  little  white  spots  on  the  brown 
coat.  Through  these  tiny  openings,  the  twig  gets 
some  air.  They  are  called  breathing  pores. 


4.     THE   LIMA   BEAN. 


IV  AY  name  is  Lima  Bean.  I  have  come  to  show 
you  what  my  kind  old  mother  has  done  for 
me.  She  has  given  me  a  heavy  white  coat  to  keep 
me  warm.  If  you  soak  me  in  water,  you  will  find  a 
pretty  ruffle  around  my  coat. 

If  you  pull  this  coat  off,  I  shall  break  'into  two 
pieces.  These  pieces  are  my  two  seed-leaves.  There 
is  sweet  food  packed  in  them.  There  is  so  much  of 
it,  that  I  make  good  food  for  man. 

I  need  food,  just  as  you  do.  You  have  to  get  and 
cook  your  food.  I  do  not  have  to  move  to  get 
mine. 

My  food  is  used  to  help  the  stem,  the  leaves,  and 
the  root  of  the  plant  to  grow. 

You  will  see  a  little  white  stem  and  two  leaflets 
on  one  of  my  seed-leaves.  These  little  leaflets  are 
darker  than  my  seed-leaves.  Don't  you  think  they 
are  a  queer  color  for  leaflets  ?  I  wonder  if  you  can 
tell  why  they  are  not  green. 

If  a  bean  is  put  into  the  ground,  the  dampness 
of  the  earth  gets  into  it.  This  makes  the  seed  swell 
and  the  coat  burst. 


IO  The  Lima  Bean. 

Then  out  comes  a  little  root  which  pushes  down 
into  the  ground.  Do  you  know  why  the  root 
comes  first? 

Soon  a  little  stalk  comes  out  of  the  seed.  This 
shoots  upward,  carrying  the  seed-leaves  with  it. 

When  they  are  out  of  the  ground,  the  seed-leaves 
turn  green.  But  when  they  have  given  the  plant 
the  food  it  needs,  they  wither  and  fall  off.  The 
seed-leaves  have  helped  the  plant  to  grow  much 
faster  and  stronger  than  it  could  have  done  with- 
out them. 


5.     THE   HORSE-CHESTNUT    TWIG. 


EORGE,  do  you  know  who  I  am  ? " 

"  Yes,"  answered  George,  "  you  are  a  horse- 
chestnut  twig.     Where  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

"  My  mother  is  a  large  horse-chestnut  tree,"    { 
said  the  twig.    "  She  is  very  proud  of  her  children    ^ 
in  the  springtime.     They  look  so  pretty  in  their 
green,  white,  and  pink  dresses." 

"  I    have    been    looking    at   your   buds,"   said 
George,  "  and  I  think  you  have  been  well  cared  for." 

"  Yes,  all  the  buds  have  thick  scales.  When  the 
weather  gets  warm  enough,  the  bud  pushes  the 
scales  apart.  Have  you  noticed  that  a  varnish  is 
spread  over  all  the  scales  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  George,  "what  is  the  use  of  this 
varnish  ? " 

"  The  varnish  fills  up  all  the  cracks.  It  helps  to 
keep  us  warm,  and  keeps  out  the  bugs  and  worms. 
If  you  should  pick  off  the  varnish  and  scales  of  one 
of  the  buds  in  the  winter,  it  would  die." 

"  I  have  never  thought  of  that,"  said  George. 
"  Thank  you,  little  twig,  for  telling  me." 


12  77/6'  Horse-Chestnut  Twig. 

"  If  you  look  at  me,"  said  the  twig,  "  you  will  find 
the  leaf  scars.  These  mark  the  places  where  the 
leaves  were  last  year,  and  on  these  little  scars  you 
will  find  tiny  dots.  These  will  tell  you  the  number 
of  leaflets  which  made  up  the  large  leaf.  Some 
have  five,  and  some  seven." 

"  What  are  those  little  rings  around  you  ? "  asked 
George. 

"  They  show  how  much  I  have  grown  each  year," 
answered  the  twig. 

"  I  hope  I  am  not  tiring  you,  little  twig,  but  I 
have  one  more  question  that  I  should  like  to  ask." 

"  If  I  can,  I  shall  be  glad  to  answer  it,"  said  the 
twig. 

"  Where  are  your  leaf  and  flower  buds  ?  " 
"  Under  my  brown  coat  are  my  tiny  little  leaflets, 
all    wrapped    in   warm   cotton,  waiting  for  spring. 
In  between  the  leaflets,  my  flower  bud  is  hidden. 
When   the  sun    has   helped   to   open   my  big  leaf 
bud,  the  flower  will  come  out  in  beau- 
tiful pink  and  white  blossoms." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  George, 
"  I  am  so  glad  I  had  this 
talk  with  you." 


6.     THE   ELDERBERRY   BUDS. 


"  TJOW  warm  the  sunshine  is! "  exclaimed  a  little 
bud  on  an  elderberry  twig. 

"  Yes,"  answered  her  twin  sister,  "  I  believe  spring 
has  come  at  last.  How  glad  I  am  !  Now  we  can 
have  a  peep  at  the  world." 

"  How  long  the  winter  has  been  ! "  said  the 
first  little  bud.     "  I  am  glad  we  live  op- 
posite.      Let    us    open    our   doors,   little 
sisters." 

"  No  wonder  we  were  warm  all  winter. 
See  how  well  we  have  been  cared  for,  with  these 
thick  walls  to  keep  out  the  cold." 

"  Oh,  sister,"  said  the  first  bud,  "here  is  a  place 
just  below  me  where  a  leaf  grew  last  summer." 

"  I  have  one.  They  are  leaf  scars.  Our  twig  has 
dots  and  rings  on  it,  too." 

"  I  have  leaves  and  a  flower  bud,"  said  the  first 
bud.  "  The  flower  bud  is  made  up  of  many  little 
buds.  It  is  green  now,  but  a  little  later  there  will 
be  many  white  blossoms." 

"  I  have  no  flower  buds  in  my  house,"  said 
another. 


14  The  Elderberry  Buds. 

"  Some  of  the  buds  have  leaves.  Others  have 
both  flower  buds  and  leaves,"  said  one  of  the  twins. 

"  Does  any  one  know  what  comes  after  the 
flowers  ?  "  asked  the  first  bud. 

.  "  I  do,"  answered  a  robin  near  by.  "  A  berry 
grows  where  you  see  each  little  flower.  For  some 
time  these  berries  are  green.  The  warm  sunshine 
helps  to  ripen  them." 

When  the  berries  are  ripe,  the  bushes  are  very 
beautiful  with  their  loads  of  red  fruit.  The  berries 
of  some  elderberry  bushes  are  black. 

What  a  feast  the  birds  have  when  these  berries 
are  ripe !  But  the  birds  do  not  get  them  all  ; 
people  gather  many  of  the  berries  to  make  them 
into  sauce  and  pies. 


7.  THE  BEAN  PLANT. 


VfOU  see  the  baby  bean  has  wakened  and  been 
hard  at  work.  We  can  see  the  roots,  stem, 
and  leaves  very  plainly  now.  Its  seed-leaves  have 
turned  brown  and  fallen,  for  they  are  no  longer 
needed. 

This  little  plant  must  eat,  drink,  and  breathe, 
just  as  you  or  I  must.  The  roots,  stem,  and  leaves 
do  this  work. 

The  poor  roots  work  very  hard.  They  reach 
their  slender  fingers  about  for  food.  They  have  to 
bring  water  from  the  ground  for  the  whole  plant. 

This  is  no  easy  task,  for  the  plant  is  very 
thirsty  and  seems  to  have  no  mercy  upon  the 
poor  roots. 

Another  great  duty  of  the  roots  is  to  hold  the 
plant  firmly  in   the  ground.     If  anything 
should  destroy  the  roots,  the  little  plant 
would  die. 

The  stem  carries  the  food  and  water 
to  the  leaves  and  flowers.  It  is  very 
careful  of  this  food  or  sap. 


'S 


1 6  The  Bean  Plant. 

The  leaves  have  two  great  duties,  to  eat  and 
to  breathe.  How  do  you  suppose  the  leaf  does 
this  eating  and  breathing? 

Of  course,  you  say  it  must  have  a  mouth.  It  has 
not  one  mouth  only,  but  hundreds  of  mouths.  You 
cannot  see  these  mouths  without  a  microscope. 
Most  of  them  are  on  the  underside  of  the  leaf. 

Have  you  ever  thought  how  much  comes  from  a 
single  bean  ?  You  put  a  bean  into  the  ground.  A 
vine  grows  from  it.  It  blossoms.  Then  come  the 
pods,  and  in  the  pods  are  beans  like  the  one  you 
planted. 


8.  THE  STRAW,  THE  COAL,  AND  THE  BEAN. 


upon  a  time,  there  was  an  old  woman 
who  lived  in  a  village.  One  day  she  went  into 
her  garden  to  gather  some  beans  for  her  dinner. 

She  had  a  good  fire,  but  to  make  it  burn  more 
quickly,  she  threw  on  a  handful  of  straw. 

As  she  threw  the  beans  into  the  pot  to  boil,  one 
of  them  fell  on  the  floor  not  far  from  a  wisp  of 
straw  which  was  lying  near. 

Suddenly  a  glowing  coal  bounded  out  of  the  fire 
and  fell  close  to  them.  They  both  started  away, 
and  exclaimed,  "  Dear  friend,  don't  come  near  me 
till  you  are  cooler.  What  brings  you  out  here  ? " 

"  Oh,"  replied  the  coal,  "  the  heat  made  me  so 
strong  that  I  was  able  to  bound  from  the  fire.  Had 
I  not  done  so,  my  death  would  have  been  certain, 
and  I  should  have  been  burned  to  ashes  by  this 
time." 

"Then,"  said  the  bean, "I  have  also  escaped  being 
scalded  to  death,  for  had  the  old  woman  put  me  in 
the  pot  with  my  comrades,  I  should  have  been 
boiled  to  broth." 


1 8  The  Straw,  The  Coal,  and  The  Bean. 

"  I  might  have  been  burned,"  said  the  straw,  "  for 
all  my  brothers  were  pushed  into  the  fire  and  smoke 
by  the  old  woman.  She  packed  sixty  of  us  in  a 
bundle,  but  I  slipped  through  her  fingers." 

"  Well,  now,  what  shall  we  do  with  ourselves  ? " 
asked  the  coal. 

"  I  think,"  answered  the  bean,  "  we  may  as  well 
travel  away  together  to  some  more  friendly  coun- 
try." 

The  two  others  agreed  to  this,  so  they  started  on 
their  journey. 

After  traveling  a  little  distance,  they  came  to  a 
stream  over  which  there  was  no  bridge.  They  were 
puzzled  to  know  how  to  get  over  to  the  other  side. 

Then  the  straw  said, "  I  will  lay  myself  across  the 
stream,  so  that  you  two  can  step  over  me,  as  if  I 
were  a  bridge." 

So  the  straw  stretched  himself  from  one  shore  to 
the  other.  The  coal  tripped  out  quite  boldly  on  the 
newly-built  bridge.  But  when  he  reached  the  mid- 
dle of  the  stream  and  heard  the  water  rushing  under 
him,  he  was  frightened.  He  stood  still  and  dared 
not  move  a  step  farther. 

Then  a  sad  thing  happened.  The  straw  was 
scorched  in  the  middle  by  the  heat  still  in  the  coal. 
It  broke  in  two  from  the  weight  of  the  coal  and  fell 


The  Straw,  The  Coal,  and  The  Bean.  19 

into  the  brook.  The  coal,  with  a  hiss,  slid  after  it 
into  the  water. 

The  bean  had  stayed  behind  on  the  shore.  When 
she  saw  what  had  happened,  she  laughed  so  hard 
that  she  burst. 

She  would  have  been  worse  off  than  her  com- 
rades had  not  a  tailor  come  to  rest  by  the  brook. 
He  noticed  the  bean,  and,  being  a  kind-hearted  man, 
he  took  a  needle  and  thread  out  of  his  pocket. 

Taking  up  the  bean,  he  sewed  her  together.  She 
thanked  him  very  much. 

He  had  only  black  thread  with  which  to  sew  the 
bean,  so  ever  since  that  time  some  beans  have  a 
black  mark  down  their  backs. 

From  Grimm's  Fairy  Tales. 


9.     THE   PEA  VINE. 


OOME  time  ago  I  was  a  little  round  pea. 
I   had  a  coat  and  a  baby  plant  that 
was  fast  asleep  inside  the  seed-leaves. 

I  was  put  into  the  ground,  and  strange 
_      things  happened  to  me. 
^       I  am  held  in  the  ground  by  my  roots. 
They  are  not  so  large  now  as  they  will  be 
after  awhile,  for  now  they  have  to  hold  and 
*  feed  a  small  plant. 

While  they  are  traveling  under  the  ground, 
my  roots  gather  food  for  me.    Perhaps 
you  will  wonder  what  has  become  of 
the   food    that   was    stored    in    my  seed- 
leaves.     Can  you  not  guess  ? 

,    Did  I  hear  some  one  say 
that  I  ate  it? 
Yes, 
that  is 
just 

what  I  did.     I  had  just  enough  food  given 
to  me  to  keep  me  alive  till  my  roots  could 


The  Pea  Vine.  21 

reach  out  and  gather  it  from   the  earth,  and  the 
leaves  from  the  air.     They  have  done 
good  work,  too,  for  you  see  how  strong 
and  healthy  I  look. 

My  leaves  are  heavy,  and  the  stem  is 
not  strong  enough  to  hold  them  up.    I 
have  some  little  tendrils  which  help  to  hold  up  the 
vine. 

A  voice  said  to  the  little  tendrils,  "  Just  as  soon 
as  you  come  to  anything  around  which  you  can 
twist,  do  so.  In  this  way,  even  if  you  are  little,  you 
can  help  your  plant." 

The  little  tendrils  were  very  obedient,  and  so 
anxious  to  help  that  they  began  to  twist  around 
some  dried  twigs  that  the  gardener  had  put  there 
for  me. 

When  the  pods  have  grown,  they  will  hold  many 
peas  sitting  in  a  row.  Then  the  tendrils  will  have 
to  hold  up  a  heavy  load.  But  they  will  twist  around 
the  twigs  so  many  times  that  the  pea  pods  will  be 
quite  safe. 


10.     THE    PEA    BLOSSOM. 


HPHERE  were  five  peas  in  one  shell. 
They  were  green,  and  the  shell  was 
green,  and  they  thought    all    the    world 
was  green. 

The  shell  tgrew  and  the  peas  grew,  all  sitting 
in  a  row.  The  sun  shone  and  warmed  the 
shell,  and  the  rain  made  it  clear  and  trans- 
parent. 

"Are  we  to  sit  here  forever?"  asked  one.  "I'm 
afraid  we  shall  become  hard.  It  seems  to  me  there 
must  be  something  outside.  I  am  sure  of  it." 

Weeks  went  by;  the  peas  became  yellow,  and 
the  shell  turned  yellow.  "  All  the  world 's  turning 
yellow,"  said  they ;  and  they  thought  it  was  true. 

Suddenly  they  felt  a  tug  at  the  shell.  The  shell 
was  torn  off  by  some  one's 'hands,  and  then  put  into 
the  pocket  of  a  jacket  with  other  shells.  "  Now  we 
shall  soon  be  opened ! "  they  said. 

That  is  just  what  they  were  waiting  for.  "  I 
should  like  to  know  who  of  us  will  travel  the 
farthest ! "  said  the  smallest  of  the  five. 


The  Pea  Blossom.  23 

"  We  shall  soon  know,"  said  the  eldest.  "  What 
is  to  be  will  be." 

"  Crack ! "  the  pod  burst,  and  the  five  peas  rolled 
out  into  the  bright  sunshine.  There  they  lay  in  a 
little  boy's  hand.  He  said  they  were  fine  for  his 
peashooter,  and  he  put  one  in  and  shot  it  out. 

"  Now  I  'm  flying  out  into  the  wide  world ;  catch 
me  if  you  can ! "  and  the  first  was  gone. 

"  I  shall  fly  straight  into  the  sun,"  said  the  second. 

"  We  '11  go  to  sleep  wherever  we  go,"  said  the  next 
two. 

They  were  put  into  the  peashooter,  and,  as  they 
were  shot  out,  said,  "  We  shall  go  farthest." 

"  What  is  to  happen  will  happen  ! "  said  the  last. 

As  he  was  shot  out,  he  flew  against  an  old  board 
under  a  garret  window.  Here  was  a  crack  filled 
with  moss.  The  moss  closed  around  him, 
making  a  soft  bed. 

In  the  garret  there  lived  a  poor  woman 
who  went  out  in  the  daytime  to  clean 
stoves  and  to  do  hard  work. 

She  worked  very  hard,  but  she  was  still 
poor.  Her  sick  daughter  lived  in  the 
garret.  This  daughter  was  very  weak, 
and  for  a  whole  year  had  kept  her  bed. 
This  made  her  mother  very  sad. 


24  The  Pea  Blossom. 

The  poor  girl  lay  quiet  all  day  long,  while  her 

mother  went  out  to  earn  money. 

It  was  spring.     One  morning  as  the  mother 

was  starting  out,  the  sick  girl  looked  through  the 

lowest  pane  of  the  window. 

"  What  is  that  green  thing  that  looks  in  at  the 
window  ?     See,  it  is  moving  in  the  wind." 

The  mother  stepped  to  the  window  and  opened 
it.  "  Oh  !  "  said  she,  "  that  is  a  little  pea  which  has 
taken  root  here.  See,  it  is  putting  out  its  leaves. 
How  could  it  get  into  the  crack?  Here  is  a  little 
garden  you  can  watch." 

The  sick  girl's  bed  was  moved  nearer  to  the 
window,  so  she  could  see  the  growing  pea  vine. 

When  the  mother  came  home  in  the  evening, 
the  sick  child  said,  "  Mother,  I  think  I  shall  get 
well.  The  sun  shone  in  to-day  very  warm.  The 
little  pea  vine  is  growing  beautifully.  I  shall  get 
better  and  go  out  into  the  warm  sunshine." 

The  mother  hoped  this  might  be  true,  but  she 
did  not  believe  it  would  be  so. 

She  put  a  stick  into  the  ground,  so  that  the  wind 
might  not  break  the  vine.  Then  she  tied  a  piece 
of  string  to  the  window-sill  and  the  upper  part  of 
window.  This  was  to  give  the  pea  vine  something 
around  which  it  could  twine. 


The  Pea  Blossom.  25 

It  seemed  as  if  one  could  see  it  grow  every 
day. 

One  day  the  mother  said,  "  Here  is  a  flower 
coming." 

This  made  her  very  happy.  She  remembered 
that  for  some  days  her  sick  child  had  seemed 
brighter  and  happier.  She  had  sat  up  in  bed  with- 
out her  mother's  help. 

The  child's  eyes  sparkled  with  delight  when  she 
saw  the  little  flower. 

A  week  later,  the  little  girl  sat  up  for  a  whole 
hour.  She  was  very  happy  as  she  sat  there  in  the 
warm  sunshine.  The  window  was  opened,  and  just 
outside  was  a  lovely  p.ea  blossom. 

The  sick  girl  bent  down  and  gently  kissed  the 
pretty  flower. 

"  The  Heavenly  Father  has  planted  the  pea  and 
helped  it  to  grow,"  said  the  happy  mother.  "  It  is  a 
joy  to  you  and  to  me." 

But  how  about  the  other  peas?  The  one  that 
said,  "  Catch  me  if  you  can,"  as  he  flew  out  into  the 
wide  world,  found  a  home  in  a  pigeon's  crop. 

The  two  lazy  ones  were  also  eaten  by  pigeons. 

The  fourth,  who  wanted  to  go  up  into  the  sun, 
fell  into  the  sink.  It  lay  there  for  weeks  and 
weeks,  and  swelled  until  it  was  very  large. 


26  The  Pea  Blossom. 

"  I  am  growing  beautifully  fat,"  said  the  pea.  "  I 
shall  burst  at  last,  and  I  don't  think  any  pea  could 
do  more  than  that.  I  am  the  most  wonderful  of  all 
the  peas  that  were  in  the  shell." 

But  the  girl  stood  at  the  garret  window,  with 
bright  eyes  and  the  rosy  hue  of  health  on  her 
cheek.  She  folded  her  thin  hands  over  the  pea 
blossom  and  thanked  heaven  for  it. 

Adapted  from  Hans  Andersen. 


11.     A    LAUGHING    CHORUS. 


OH,  such  a  commotion  under  the  ground 
When  March  called,  "  Ho,  there  !  ho  ! " 
Such  spreading  of  rootlets  far  and  wide, 
Such  whispering  to  and  fro. 
And,  "Are  you  ready?"  the  Snow-drop  asked, 
"  'T  is  time  to  start,  you  know." 
"  Almost,  my  dear,"  the  Scilla  replied  ; 
"  I  '11  follow  as  soon  as  you  go." 
Then  "  Ha !  ha  !  ha  ! "  a  chorus  came 
Of  laughter  soft  and  low 

From  the  millions  of  flowers  under  the  ground 
Yes  —  millions  —  beginning  to  grow. 

"  I  '11  promise  my  blossoms,"  the  Crocus  said, 

"  When  I  hear  the  bluebirds  sing." 

And  straight  thereafter,  Narcissus  cried, 

"  My  silver  and  gold  I  '11  bring." 

"  And  ere  they  are  dulled,"  another  spoke, 

"  The  Hyacinth  bells  shall  ring," 

And  the  Violet  only  murmured,  "  I'm  here," 

And  sweet  grew  the  air  of  spring. 


28  A  LaugJiing  Chorus. 

Then,  "  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  "  a  chorus  came 

Of  laughter  soft  and  low 

From  the  millions  of  flowers  under  the  ground  — 

Yes  —  millions  —  beginning  to  grow. 

Oh,  the  pretty,  brave  things !  through  the  coldest 

days, 

Imprisoned  in  walls  of  brown, 
They  never  lost  heart  though  the  blast  shrieked 

loud, 

And  the  sleet  and  the  hail  came  down  ; 
But  patiently  each  wrought  her  beautiful  dress, 
Or  fashioned  her  beautiful  crown  ; 
And  now  they  are  coming  to  brighten  the  world, 
Still  shadowed  by  winter's  frown ; 
And  well  may  they  cheerily  laugh,  "  Ha !  ha !  " 
In  a  chorus  soft  and  low, 

The  million  of  flowers  hid  under  the  ground  - 
Yes  —  millions  —  beginning  to  grow. 

Emerson's  Evolution  of  Expression. 


12.  MOTHER  NATURE'S  BABY  FERNS. 


T  AST  autumn,  when  Jack  Frost  killed  the  mother 
*-*  fern,  the  poor  little  babies  were  much  afraid. 
But  some  little  snow-flakes  came  fluttering  down 
from  the  sky  and  covered  them  with  a  warm 
blanket ;  and  so  they  went  to  sleep. 

They  slept  all  through  the  long  cold  winter,  and 
Jack  Frost  could  not  reach  them. 

Sometimes,  in  their  dreams,  they  thought  they 
heard  old  Northwind  whistling  over  their  heads. 
They  did  not  care  for  that ;  the  nice,  white  coverlet 
kept  them  so  warm. 

About  the  first  of  April,  they  were  wakened  by 
hearing  voices  all  around  them. 

A  sweet,  old  voice  was  saying,  "  Come,  my  dar- 
lings, it  is  time  for  you  to  get  up." 

Then  such  a  scampering  as  there  was ;  little 
flowers,  grasses,  and  the  baby  ferns  were  all  getting 
ready. 

Mother  Nature  thought  the  ferns  had  better  wrap 
up  well,  because  some  days  the  clouds  might  cover 
the  sun,  and  then  they  would  be  very  cold  with  old 


Mother  Nature  s  Baby  Ferns. 


Northwind  for  a  playfellow.  What  do  you  think 
she  gave  them  ?  Shall  I  tell  you  ?  She  gave  them 
little  fur  hoods. 

They  do  not  throw  off  these  hoods  the  first  warm 
day,  but  slip  them  back  just  a  little  at 
a  time.  They  are  afraid  that  old  Jack 
Frost  will  catch  them. 

Old  Mother  Nature  knows  what  a 
naughty  fellow  he  is,  so  she  told  them 
just  what  to  do. 

When  the  sun  has  warmed  the  ground 
and  air,  they  will   help  old   Mother  Nature 
make  her  woods  beautiful. 


13.    MARSH    MARIGOLD. 


\AfHAT  do  you  think  the  flowers  did?     I  don't 
*  "     believe  you  could  guess,  if  you  were  to  try  a 
week ;  so  I  shall  have  to  tell  you.     They  gave  a 
party. 

All  the  early  flowers  were  invited,  and  they 
did  such  queer  things !  Miss  Anemone  had  never 
seen  Miss  Marsh  Marigold  before,  and  she  asked 
her  to  tell  a  short  story  about  herself. 

"  Miss  Anemone,"  said  Miss  Marsh  Marigold, 
"my  home  is  in  a  marsh.  My  good  mother  put 
me  there  that  I  might  have  plenty  to  drink,  for  I 
need  a  great  deal  of  water. 

"  My  home  is   always   merry  with 
music.     Who  do  you  think  make  all 
this  music?     No,  it  is  not  the  birds 
alone.      They   sing   in    the 
morning,    and    Mr.   Frog 
sings  all  the  evening. 

"  When  the  warm  sun- 
shine called  me,  I  sent  up 
a  strong,  thick  stem,  with 


32  Marsh  Marigold. 

smaller  stems  growing  from  it.  The  stems  are  not 
all  alike.  Some  are  called  flower-stalks,  and  they 
are  grooved.  The  others  are  the  leaf-stalks.  The 
leaf-stalks  are  not  like  the  flower-stalks,  for  they 
have  only  one  wide  groove  on  one  side. 

"  Little  friend,  if  you  are  not  tired  I  will  tell 
you  about  my  leaves.  You  see  that  I  have  some 
large  leaves  and  some  smaller  ones.  The  smaller 
ones  grow  on  the  flower-stalks,  and  their  stem  is 
short. 

"  All  my  leaves  are  green,  but  they  are  darker 
on  the  upper  side.  They  have  no  hairs  on  them 
as  yours  havev  little  Hepatica.  They  are  very 
smooth." 

As  she  said  this,  Miss  Marigold  turned  to  Miss 
Hepatica,  who  was  standing  close  by.  Then  look- 
ing around  at  the  other  flowers,  who  had  also  drawn 
near  to  listen,  she  said :  "  I  have  something  in  my 
leaf  which  you  all  have.  Can  you  guess  what  it  is  ? " 

"  I  know,"  cried  little  Hepatica. 

"  Then  don't  tell  the  rest,"  said  Miss  Marigold ; 
"  see  if  they  can  find  out.  I  have  a  great  many  of 
them.  They  spread  in  my  leaf,  and  carry  food  all 
over  it." 

"  I  know  !  I  know  !  "  cried  several  voices  ;  "  they 
are  veins." 


THE    MARSH    MARIGOLD- 


Marsli  Marigold.  33, 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Marsh  Marigold,  "  you  are  right. 
These  veins  start  from  the  end  of  the  leaf-stalk,  and 
carry  food  to  all  parts.  See  how  they  divide  again 
and  again  into  veinlets  ! 

"  Do  you  not  think  my  flowers  are  shaped  like  a 
saucer?  Some  of  them  are  cup-shaped. 

"  There  are  five  sepals  in  most  of  my  flowers. 
The  inside  of  the  sepals  is  golden,  but  the  outside 
of  each  is  a  pale  green.  Do  you  see  how  these 
sepals  lap? 

"  I  have  many  golden  stamens,  and  some  of  my 
powder  boxes  have  opened  and  let  out  the  pollen. 
I  saw  little  pollen  fairies,  dressed  in  gold,  sailing 
away  with  the  wind.  They  seemed  so  happy  to  be 
free. 

"  Then  there  are  my  pistils.  They  hold  the  seed 
boxes.  Some  of  the  flowers  have  five  pistils;  some 
six,  and  some  even  more. 

"  These  little  pistils  are  golden  at  the  top,  but 
below  they  are  pale  green.  They  are  shorter  and 
thicker  than  some  of  the  pistils  you  have  seen." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Miss  Anemone ;  "  you  were 
very  kind  to  tell  me  so  much  about  yourself." 

"  I  am  very  glad  if  I  have  given  you  pleasure," 
said  Miss  Marsh  Marigold. 


14.     MAY. 


ORETTY  little  violets,  waking  from  your  sleep, 

Fragrant  little  blossoms  just  about  to  peep, 
Would  you  know  the  reason  all  the  world  is  gay  ? 
Listen  to  the  Bobolink,  telling  you  't  is  May. 

Little  ferns  and  grasses,  all  so  green  and  bright, 
Purple  clover  nodding,  daisy  fresh  and  white, 
Would  you  know  the  reason  all  the  world  is  gay? 
Listen  to  the  Bobolink,  telling  you  't  is  May. 

Darling  little  warblers,  coming  in  the  spring, 
Would  you  know  the  reason  that  you  love  to  sing? 
Hear  the  merry  children  shouting  at  their  play, 
"  Listen  to  the  Bobolink,  telling  you  't  is  May  !  " 

Elinor  Smith's  Songs  and  Games  for  Little  Ones.     OLIVER  DITSON,  Publ. 


15.     THE    VIOLET. 


A  PURPLE  violet,  with  her  sisters,  lived  out  in 
^^  the  woods  under  an  oak  tree.  The  violet  had 
just  unfolded  her  petals,  and  was  very  happy  to  be 
in  the  beautiful  woods. 

The  oak  tree  kept  the  hot  sun  from  her  head  and 
let  in,  only  now  and  then,  a  sunbeam  to  warm  her 
when  the  wind  was  cold.  Day  by  day,  the  little 
violet  grew  larger  and  taller,  and  the  bees  came  to 
get  her  honey. 

They  told  her  stories  of  the  world  outside,  and 
she  wished  she  could  visit  it.  The  violet  could  see 


35 


The  Violet. 


the  children  running  to  and  fro.  They 
laughed  so  merrily,  she  wondered  what 
they  were  doing. 

One    morning    the   violet    knew    all 
about  it,  for  a  little  girl,  with  some  of 
her  friends,  ran   up  to  her  and  cried, 
"  Oh,  what  lovely  purple  violets  for  my 
May  basket ! " 
Then    away   went    the    little    blue   violet,   held 
tightly  in  the  little  girl's  hand. 

"Oh!"  cried  the  little  girl,  "this  pretty  flower 
wears  a  purple  bonnet.  The  five  purple  petals 
make  this  bonnet.  It  wears  a  collar  of  five  green 
sepals." 

"  The  lower  petal  has  a  spur  or  honey  bag,"  said 
another.  "  I  think  the  bees  that  visit  the  violet 
could  tell  you  about  the  honey  bag.  I  have  heard 
that  bees  pay  for  all  the  honey  they  take.  They  do 
not  know  it,  and  it  is  done  in  a  queer  way." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  little  girl,  "  the  bee  thrusts  his 
head  into  the  flower  to  reach  the  honey  bag.  He 
brushes  against  the  pollen  boxes,  and  some  of  the 
pollen  sticks  to  him.  Then,  when  he  flies  to  the 
next  flower,  he  rubs  the  pollen  off  on  its  knob. 
Do  you  know  of  what  use  this  pollen  is  to  the 
flower?" 


The  Violet.  37 

"  I  have  been  told  that  seeds  are  much  stronger 
and  better  when  they  can  get  the  pollen-dust  from 
another  plant  of  the  same  kind,"  answered  one  of 
her  friends.  "  This  is  done  by  insects  flying  from 
one  flower  to  another  and  carrying  the  pollen  on 
their  legs  and  bodies." 

"  Are  the  white  and  yellow  violets  your  cousins 
little  violet  ? "  asked  one  of  the  girls. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  violet.  "  I  am  glad  you  are 
going  to  take  me  with  you,  for  now  I  can  see  the 
beautiful  world  that  the  bees  have  told  me  about." 

Before  the  violet  had  gone  very  far,  the  little  girl 
dropped  her  on  the  ground,  and  she  lay  there  a 
long  time  in  the  hot  sun. 

"  If  some  kind  person  would  only  pick  me  up 
and  carry  me  home,"  she  sighed. 

Just  as  she  said  this,  a  little  boy  who  was  passing 
said,  "  Oh,  here  is  a  poor  violet  that  some  one  has 
left  in  the  hot  sun  to  die."  And  he  picked  her  up 
and  took  her  to  his  home. 

Then  the  little  violet  was  again  happy  in  a  pretty 
vase  in  the  little  boy's  room. 


16.    THE    YELLOW    VIOLET. 


A  \  J HEN  beechen  buds  begin  to  swell, 

And  woods  the  bluebird's  warble  know, 
The  yellow  violet's  modest  bell 

Peeps  from  the  last  year's  leaves  below. 

Ere  russet  fields  their  green  resume, 
Sweet  flower,  I  love,  in  forest  bare, 

To  meet  thee,  when  thy  faint  perfume 
Alone  is  in  the  virgin  air. 

Of  all  her  train,  the  hands  of  spring 
First  plant  thee  in  the  watery  mould, 

And  I  have  seen  thee  blossoming 
Beside  the  snow-bank's  edges  cold. 

Thy  parent  sun,  who  bade  thee  view 
Pale  skies,  and  chilling  moisture  sip, 

Has  bathed  thee  in  his  own  bright  hue, 
And  streaked  with  jet  thy  glowing  lip. 

Yet  slight  thy  form,  and  low  thy  seat, 
And  earthward  bent  thy  gentle  eye, 
Unapt  the  passing  view  to  meet, 

When  loftier  flowers  are  flaunting  nigh. 

38 


The  Yellow  Violet.  39 

Oft,  in  the  sunless  April  day, 

Thy  early  smile  has  stayed  my  walk, 

But  midst  the  gorgeous  blooms  of  May, 
I  passed  thee  on  thy  humble  stalk. 

So  they,  who  climb  to  wealth,  forget 
The  friends  in  darker  fortunes  tried. 

I  copied  them  —  but  I  regret 

That  I  should  ape  the  ways  of  pride. 

And  when  again  the  genial  hour 
Awakes  the  painted  tribes  of  light, 

I'll  not  o'erlook  the  modest  flower 
That  made  the  woods  of  April  bright. 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT. 


17.     HEPATICA    STORY. 


TN  the  autumn,  Mother  Nature 
*    gave  little  Miss  Hepatica  to 
her  nurse  to  be  cared  for  and  watched 
while  Miss  Hepatica  slept  all  winter. 

The   nurse's  name  was   Miss   Under- 
ground Stem. 

In  the  spring,  Miss  Hepatica  was  awakened  by 
her  playmate,  Robin  Red  Breast,  who  called  merrily 
to  her  with  his  "  Cheer-up,  Cheer,  Cheer ! " 

Miss  Hepatica  was  in  a  hurry,  so  Nurse  Under- 
ground Stem  sent  servants  in  all  directions  through 
the  ground  to  get  the  food  and  clothing  which  she 
would  need  in  her  upward  journey. 

It  was  still  very  cold  above  ground,  and  Miss 
Hepatica  would  need  to  be  very  strong  and  warmly 
wrapped,  so  that  she  would  not  take  cold. 

Nurse  Underground  Stem  gave  her  a  warm 
woolly  dress  and  a  hood  which  was  tightly  fastened, 
so  that  the  cold  March  wind  could  not  blow  it  off. 

When  Miss  Hepatica  had  enough  food  to  keep 
her  alive  and  clothes  to  keep  her  warm  in  the 


Hepatic  a  Story.  41 

cold  upper  world,  Nurse  Underground  Stem  helped 
her  push  the  earth  aside.  At  last  her  pretty  little 
head  was  above  ground. 

The  sun  warmed  the  ground,  and  the  April  rains 
came  and  helped  her  grow.  Robin  Red  Breast 
sang  cheerily  from  a  tree  near  by. 

Very  soon  she  found  her  hood  too  warm,  so  she 
unfastened  it  and  let  it  fall  back. 

The  sun  and  rain  were  very  good  friends  to  her. 
She  opened  her  little  blue  eyes  to  see  her 
old  friends,  Robin  Red  Breast  and  Old 
Oak  Tree.  She  nodded  to  all  who  passed, 
she  was  so  happy  to  see  them  after  her 
long  sleep. 


18.     HEPATICA. 


A  \T HEN  April  awakens  the  blossom  folk, 

"         And  bluebirds  are  on  the  wing, 
Hepatica  muffled  in  downy  cloak, 
Hastens  to  greet  the  spring. 

Careless  of  cold  when  the  northwind  blows, 
Glad  when  the  sun  shines  down, 

She  opens  her  wrap,  and  smiling,  shows 
Her  dainty  lavender  gown. 

Her  sisters  are  robed  in  pink,  and  some 

Are  in  royal  purple  dressed, 
And  over  the  hills  and  fields  they  come, 

To  welcome  the  darling  guest. 

The  children  laugh  as  they  pick  the  flowers, 

And  the  happy  robins  sing ; 
For,  blooming  in  chill  and  leafless  bowers, 

Hepatica  means  the  spring. 

ANNA  PRATT. 


19.     THE    GARY    TREE. 


TN  1832,  Alice  Gary  was  twelve  years  old,  and  her 
sister  Phoebe  only  eight.  One  day  as  these  little 
girls  were  returning  home  from  school,  they  found 
a  small  tree  which  a  farmer  had  dug  up  and  thrown 
into  the  road. 

One  of  them  picked  it  up  and  said  to  the  other, 
"  Let  us  plant  it."  These  happy  children  ran  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  and  with  sticks  they 
dug  up  the  earth. 

In  the  hole  thus  made,  they  placed  the  little  tree. 
They  threw  the  earth  around  it  with  their  little 
hands,  and  pressed  it  down  with  their  tiny  feet. 

How  they  watched  that  tree  to  see  if  it  were 
growing ;  and  how  they  clapped  their  hands  when 
they  saw  the  buds  start  and  the  leaves  begin  to 
form  ! 

They  were  happy  all  through  the  summer  days 
watching  it.  When  old  Jack  Frost  and  King 
Winter  came,  how  they  feared  these  rough  fellows 
might  kill  it ;  and  when  the  longed-for  spring  came, 


44  The  Gary  Tree. 

with  what  feelings  of  hope  and  fear  did  they  go  to 
find  their  tree ! 

When  these  two  girls  grew  to  be  women,  they 
moved  to  New  York  city,  but  they  never  returned 
to  their  old  home  without  paying  the  tree  a  visit. 
They  seemed  to  think  as  much  of  it  as  of  their  old 
friends. 

That  tree  is  now  a  large  and  beautiful  syca- 
more. It  is  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  and  the  people 
for  miles  around  tell  visitors  how  the  sycamore 
was  planted. 


20.     WHAT    KATE    HEARD    THE    FLOWERS    SAY. 


T  ITTLE  Kate  went  out  into  the  woods  one 
sunny  May  afternoon  to  pick  some  flowers. 

She  had  gone  from  flower  to  flower,  gathering 
them  until  her  basket  was  full.  At  last,  she  had 
walked  a  long  way,  and  was  very  tired. 

Setting  her  basket  down  beside  her,  she  lay 
down  to  rest.  In  a  few  moments  she  heard  soft 
music,  and,  listening  closely,  she  found  the  sweet 
tones  came  from  the  basket  beside  her. 

The  violets  were  saying,  " '  We  are  as  sweet  as 
the  roses  and  blue  as  the  skies,'  and  we  live  in  a 
soft  mossy  dell.  The  bees  come  and  gather  sweet 
honey  from  us." 

"  We,"  laughed  the  anemone,  "  live  where  we  can 
frolic  in  the  gentle  breezes,  and,  because  we  love 
the  wind,  some  people  call  us  Wind  Flowers." 

The  columbines  said,  "  We  live  in  that  pleasant 
grove  at  the  top  of  the  hill.  Our  red  and  yellow 
dresses  show  very  plainly  above  the  green  plants 
around  us,  and  the  children  gather  us  in  great 


46  What  Kate  Heard  the  Flowers  Say. 

bunches.  The  bees  make  us  many  visits,  for  we 
have  five  storehouses  of  sweet  honey  for  them." 

The  bellworts  now  spoke  in  their  bell-like  tones : 
"  We  are  wood  flowers  too,  and  our  yellow  bells 
hang  ringing  all  day  long.  If  it  were  not  for  our 
many  leaves,  which  shut  in  the  sound  a  little,  I  fear 
the  other  flowers  would  think  us  very  noisy." 

"  Let  us  wake  up  the  little  girl  now,  for  we  are 
thirsty  and  need  some  water." 

Kate  sprang  up  as  the  bellwort  rang.  She  had 
not  been  asleep,  but  had  heard  every  word.  How 
glad  she  was  to  have  heard  the  flowers  talk ! 


THE    TRILLIUM. 


21.     THE    TRILLIUM. 


HPHIS  queer  flower  is  sometimes  called  the  wake 
*  robin.  It  grows  in  shady  places ;  sometimes 
you  may  find  it  in  damp  ones.  Often  its  friend, 
the  marsh  marigold,  is  found  but  a  short  distance 
from  it. 

Its  long  green  stem  is  round  and  smooth.  Three 
large  dark  green  leaves  are  at  the  top  of  the  stem. 
The  flower  stem  does  not  always  grow 
straight  up,  but  curves  towards  one  side, 
so  that  the  flower  is  often  hidden  by  the 
leaves. 

Most  of  the  flowers  you  have  studied  have 
had  five  sepals.     This  flower  has  only  three. 
Each  is   a  light  green,  and  has  a  pointed  apex.     fs 
These  sepals  stand  out  as  straight  as  soldiers. 

The  three  curved  petals  are  snowy  white,  and, 
as  they  grow  old,  they  wither. 

This  flower  has  fewer  stamens  than  the  earliest 
flowers  of  May,  but  they  are  very  large. 

The  pollen  box  is  also  different  in  shape,  being 
very  long. 


47 


48  The  Trilliiun. 

The  pistil  is  the  queerest  of  all  the  parts,  being 
shaped  like  a  vase.  It  is  white,  and  has  three  little 
horns  curving  out  at  the  top. 

I  wonder  if  any  of  the  children  have  discovered 
why  this  flower  is  called  a  trillium  ?  It  is  tri-leaved, 
tri-petaled,  tri-everything. 


22.     THE   DANDELION. 


H,  Jessie!"  said  Emma,  "look  at  this  dear, 
little  dandelion.  It  is  the  first  one  I  have 
seen." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jessie,  "  I  think  it  is  very  beautiful, 
but  in  a  short  time  there  will  be  so  many  of  its 
brothers  and  sisters  that  I  fear  you  will  not  care 
for  it." 

"  You  are  wrong,  Jessie.  If  you  look  closely,  I 
am  sure  you  will  think  as  I  do,  that  it  is  a  very 
beautiful  flower.  Its  long  slender  leaves  form  a 
rosette  on  the  ground.  Mamma  often  has  us 


5<D  The  Dandelion. 

gather  the  leaves  to  cook.  They  are  called  greens. 
I  like  them,  and  am  glad  when  we  have  them  for 
dinner." 

"  Did  you  ever  think  that  when  you  have  one 
of  these  flowers  in  your  hand,  you  have  a  whole 
bouquet,  —  many  flowers  in  one?'1 

"  Yes,"  said  Emma,  "  I  have  heard  that  people 
call  a  flower  that  is  made  up  of  many  flowers,  a 
compound  flower." 

"  Let  us  look  at  one  of  these  little  flowers.  In 
each  I  find  petals,  stamens,  and  pistil." 

"  The  golden  flowers  of  the  dandelion  are  shut 
up  every  night,"  said  Emma.  "  But  in  the  morning 
they  are  up  much  earlier  than  you  or  I,  for  they 
open  their  eyes  as  soon  as  the  sun  is  up." 

"  The  dandelion  has  a  curious  habit,"  said  Jessie. 
"  When  the  sun  is  very  hot,  it  closes  to  keep  from 
wilting.  In  this  way,  the  green  covering  protects  it 
from  the  sun." 

"  Did  you  ever  make  curls  of  the  hollow  stems  ? " 
asked  Emma.  "  The  curls  are  pretty,  but  the  milk 
in  them  tastes  bitter.  If  we  look  at  our  hands  after 
gathering  dandelions,  we  shall  find  that  this  bitter 
milk  has  left  dark  stains." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Jessie,  "  and  when  the  dandelions 
have  gone  to  seed,  they  look  like  white  fluffy  balls. 


The  Dandelion.  51 

These  seeds  we  have  blown  far  away  to  see  if  we 
could  tell  the  time  of  day." 

"  Old  Mr.  Wind  carries  these  seeds  far  and 
near,"  said  Emma.  "  Mother  Nature  cares  for 
them  during  the  long  cold  winter,  and  in  the 
spring  of  the  new  year  we  shall  find  more  of 
these  little  yellow  flowers." 


23.     LEGEND    OF    THE    DANDELION. 


WEARS  and  years  ago,  a  great  many  little  stars 
lived  in  the  sky  with  their  mother,  the  Moon, 
and  their  father,  the  Sun. 

Their  mother  liked  to  have  them  shine  as  soon 
as  it  grew  dark,  to  help  brighten  the  sky,  and  so 
make  the  earth  lighter. 

I  do  not  know  what  could  have  happened  to 
these  little  stars,  for  they  were  usually  very  good 
children ;  but  one  night  when  "their  mother  called 
them  to  come  and  light  the  sky,  they  came  very 
slowly,  and  when  she  told  them  to  shine,  they  did 
not  do  so. 

They  did  just  as  I  have  seen  some  little  children 
do ;  they  hung  their  heads  and  wore  a  cross  look 
on  their  faces. 

Now,  this  made  old  Mother  Moon  feel  very  sad, 
and  when  she  saw  that  the  children  were  not  going 
to  do  as  she  wished,  what  do  you  think  happened  ? 

Their  places  were  taken  by  some  good  little 
stars,  who  wished  to  help  the  people  on  the  earth 


Legend  of  the  Dandelion.  53 

find  their  way.  Soon  the  naughty  little  stars  felt 
themselves  falling,  falling  down  from  the  sky. 

Faster  and  faster  they  fell,  till  they  sank  down 
into  the  earth. 

The  poor  little  things  cried  themselves  to  sleep, 
because  they  were  lonely,  and  because  they  were 
so  sorry  that  they  had  been  naughty. 

In  the  morning  their  father,  the  Sun,  shone  out 
so  brightly  that  everything  wakened  from  sleep, 
even  the  baby  stars  under  the  grass.  When  they 
found  themselves  in  the  ground,  they  began  to 
cry  again.  The  Sun  heard  them,  and,  seeing 
how  sorry  they  were,  he  called  them  up  and 
smiled  upon  them. 

Now  listen  to  what  he  told  them.  He  said 
that  they  were  to  shine  on  the  earth  instead  of 
in  the  heavens,  and  so  make  the  earth  beautiful. 

So  every  morning,  when  the  Sun  smiled  upon 
them,  they  opened  their  eyes  and  shone  all  day. 

At  night,  you  can  see  the  stars  in  the  sky;  and 
every  day  in  summer,  the  stars  shining  in  the 

Adapted. 


24.     THE  DANDELION. 


"DRIGHT  little  dandelion, 

Downy,  yellow  face, 
Peeping  up  among  the  grass 

With  such  gentle  grace  ; 
Minding  not  the  April  wind 

Blowing  rude  and  cold, 
Brave  little  dandelion 
With  a  heart  of  gold. 

Meek  little  dandelion 

Changing  into  curls 
At  the  magic  touch  of  these 

Merry  boys  and  girls. 
When  they  pinch  thy  dainty  throat, 

Strip  thy  dress  of  green, 
On  thy  soft  and  gentle  face 

Not  a  cloud  is  seen. 

Poor  little  dandelion, 

Now  all  gone  to  seed, 
Scattered  roughly  by  the  wind 

Like  a  common  weed. 


The  Dandelion.  55 

Thou  hast  lived  thy  little  life 

Smiling  every  day ; 
Who  could  do  a  better  thing 

In  a  better  way  ?  " 

From  McMurry's  Classic  Stories  for  the  Little  Ones. 

By  permission  of  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PUBL.  Co. 


25.     THE  ROBIN. 


Washington's  Birthday,  Willie  Clark 
had  a  holiday,  and  he  thought  he  would 
have  a  fine  time  skating. 

There  were  many  boys  on  the  pond.  While 
racing  with  some  of  his  friends,  Willie  fell  and  broke 
his  leg. 

Poor  Willie  !  he  had  to  stay  in  bed  four  weeks. 
That  was  a  hard  month  for  him  ;  but,  one  bright 
morning  the  last  of  March,  his  father  carried  him 
to  a  window  where  there  was  a  large  easy  chair. 

"  Thank  you,  father,"  he  said.  "  This  is  very 
nice.  Oh,  look  !  the  grass  is  green  and  the  buds 
are  opening.  Hark  !  was  that  a  bird  singing  ?  " 

"  Mother  Nature  has  been  hard  at  work  while  you 
have  been  in  bed,"  said  his  mother.  "  There  is  a 
robin  under  the  window.  He  is  one  of  the  first 
birds  to  come  back  to  us,  and  we  are  always  so  glad 
to  see  him.  We  feel  that  when  the  robin  comes, 
spring  is  coming  too." 

"  Will  you,  please,  bring  me  some  crumbs, 
mother  ? "  asked  Willie,  "  I  will  throw  them  to 
him." 


The  Robin.  57 

"  Yes,  my  boy,"  said  his  mother.  And  she  brought 
a  plate  of  bread. 

Willie  fed  the  robin  and  found  that  the  bird  was 
not  at  all  afraid. 

"  See,  mother  !  "  said  Willie,  "  his  tail,  wings,  and 
back  are  a  grayish  brown ;  his  breast  is  chestnut- 
colored." 

"  Yes,"  said  she.     "  Have  you  noticed  his  feet  ? " 

"  On  each  foot  he  has  three  toes  in  front  and  one 
behind.  Is  he  a  percher?"  asked  Willie. 

"  Yes,"  said  his  mother,  "  he  belongs  to  the  large 
family  of  perching  birds." 

"  There  he  goes,"  said  Willie.  "  See,  how  he  runs 
over  the  ground  !  He  does  not  hop  as  some  birds 
do.  What  is  he  doing  now  ?  See  him  peck  at  the 
ground." 

"  He  has  found  a  worm  and  is  pulling  it  out  of 
the  ground  with  his  sharp  bill." 

As  Mrs.  Clark  spoke,  the  robin  flew  into  a  cherry 
tree  near  the  house. 

"  He  must  be  building  his  nest  in  that  tree,"  said 
Willie.  "  I  know  robins  like  to  build  their  nests 
near  houses.  Let  us  watch  and  see  if  that  is  what 
he  is  doing." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin  were  very  busy  building  a 
home.  They  made  their  nest  of  hay  and  grass 


58  The  Robin. 

fastened  together  with  mud,  and  inside  it  was  lined 
with  fine  soft  grass. 

When  Willie  was  able  to  climb  the  tree,  he 
found  that  Mrs.  Robin  had  laid  four  pretty  blue 
eggs. 


26.     THE  NORTH  STORY  OF  HOW  THE  ROBIN  GOT 
ITS  RED  BREAST. 


TONG  ago,  in  the  far  north,  where  it  is  very  cold, 
^  there  was  only  one  fire. 

An  old  man  and  his  little  son  took  care  of  this 
fire  and  kept  it  burning  day  and  night.  They  knew 
that  if  the  fire  went  out  all  the  people  would  freeze 
and  the  white  bear  would  have  the  north  land  all  to 
himself. 

One  day  the  old  man  became  very  ill,  so  that  his 
son  had  everything  to  do.  For  many  days  and 
nights  the  boy  bravely  took  care  of  his  father  and 
kept  the  fire  burning.  But  at  last  he  got  so  tired 
and  sleepy  that  he  could  no  longer  walk. 

Now  the  white  bear  was  always  watching  the 
fire. 

He  longed  for  the  time  when  he  should  have  the 
north  land  all  to  himself. 

When  ,he  saw  how  tired  and  slegpy  the  little  boy 
was,  he  stayed  close  to  the  fire  and  laughed  to  him- 
self 


60       Story  of  How  the  Robin  got  its  Red  Breast. 

One  night  the  poor  little  boy  could  keep  awake 
no  longer  and  fell  fast  asleep. 

Then  the  white  bear  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  and 
jumped  upon  the  fire  with  his  wet  feet  and  rolled 
upon  it. 

At  last  he  thought  it  was  all  out,  and  went  hap- 
pily away  to  his  cave. 

But  a  gray  robin  had  been  flying  near  and  had 
seen  what  the  white  bear  was  doing. 

She  waited  until  the  bear  had  gone  away. 

Then  she  flew  down  and  searched  with  her  sharp 
little  eyes  until  she  found  a  tiny  live  spark. 

For  a  long  time  she  patiently  fanned  this  spark 
with  her  wings. 

Her  little  breast  was  scorched  red,  but  she  did 
not  give  up. 

After  a  while  a  fine  red  blaze  sprang  up.  Then 
she  flew  away  to  every  hut  in  the  north  land. 

Everywhere  that  she  touched  the  ground,  a  fire 
began  to  burn. 

So  that  soon  instead  of  one  little  fire,  the  whole 
north  land  was  lighted  up. 

Now,  all  that  the  white  bear  could  do  was  to  go 
further  back  into  his  cave  and  growl. 

For  now,  indeed,  he  knew  that  the  north  land 
was  not  all  for  him. 


Story  of  How  the  Robin  got  its  Red  Breast.       61 

And  this  is  the  reason  why  the  people  in  the 
north  country  love  the  robin.  And  they  are  never- 
tired  of  telling  their  children  how  it  got  its  red 
breast. 

Flora  Cooke's  Myths.     A.  FLANAGAN,  Publ. 


27.    WHAT  ROBIN  TOLD. 


TTOW  do  robins  build  their  nest  ? 

Robin  Redbreast  told  me. 
First  a  wisp  of  yellow  hay 
In  a  pretty  round  they  lay ; 
Then  some  shreds  of  downy  floss 
Feathers  too,  and  bits  of  moss, 
Woven  with  a  sweet,  sweet  song, 
This  way,  that  way,  and  across : 
That 's  what  Robin  told  me. 

Where  do  robins  hide  their  nest  ? 
Robin  Redbreast  told  me. 
Up  among  the  leaves  so  deep, 
Where  the  sunbeams  rarely  creep. 
Long  before  the  winds  are  cold, 
Long  before  the  leaves  are  gold, 
Bright-eyed  stars  will  peep  and  see 
Baby-robins  —  one,  two,  three  : 
That 's  what  Robin  told  me. 

Geo.  Cooper,  in  Little  Flower  Folks, 
62 


SPRING    IN    THE    APPLE    TREE. 


28.     SPRING  IN  THE  APPLE  TREE. 


bright  morning  in  spring,  the  sunbeams 
came  down  to  visit  the  apple  trees  in  the 
orchard.  The  leaves  were  putting  on  their  green 
dresses,  and  the  baby  apple  buds  were  just  waking 
up.  Some  of  the  buds  had  on  their  dresses  of  pure 
white. 

The  buds  had  a  happy  time,  for  the  bees  and 
butterflies  came  to  visit  them,  and  the  robins  sang 
very  cheerfully. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin  had  built  a  snug  little  nest 
among  the  branches,  and  they  took  very  good  care 
of  the  five  little  eggs  tucked  away  under  Mrs. 
Robin's  warm  wings. 

One  tiny  cocoon  cradle  hung  from  a  little  twig 
near  the  robin's  nest.  Mrs.  Robin  said,  "  I  Hope 
my  little  birdies  will  wake  up  before  that  butterfly 
creeps  out  of  its  cocoon  cradle  ;  they  will  be  so 
glad  to  see  it. 

"  Mr.  Robin  and  I  worked  very  busily  gathering 
tiny  twigs  and  bits  of  hay  and  hair,  and  weaving 
them  into  a  safe  nest. 

63 


64  Spring  in  the  Apple  Tree. 

"  We  had  a  happy  time  building  the  nest,  and  we 
shall  have  a  happy  family  in  our  little  home  when 
the  birdies  wake  up." 

Every  day  Mr.  Wind  came  to  sing  among  the 
apple-tree  branches,  and  the  sunbeams  shone  very 
warmly  upon  the  little  apple  buds,  and  the  cocoon 
cradle,  and  the  birdies'  nest.  They  called  again 
and  again,  "  Spring  has  come.  Wake  up  !  Wake 
up!" 

One  morning,  Mrs.  Robin  heard  a  little  cracking 
noise  under  her  wing,  and  the  eggs  began  to  move. 
Then  she  heard  a  little  voice  say  "  peep  "  very  softly. 

What  do  you  think  had  happened  ? 

Yes,  two  little  robins  were  waking  up.  They 
cracked  the  egg  shells  and  put  out  two  little  heads. 
Four  bright  little  eyes  looked  about  with  wonder  at 
the  beautiful  white  apple  blossoms  and  the  sun- 
shine. 

Very  soon  three  more  little  robins  awakened,  and 
six  more  bright  eyes  looked  and  saw  a  very  happy 
mother  robin.  While  they  all  cuddled  under  her 
warm  feathers,  Mr.  Robin  flew  about  very  busily, 
gathering  food  for  his  family  of  little  birdies. 

The  little  robins  watched  the  cocoon  cradle  rock- 
ing in  the  breeze,  and  often  said,  "  Mamma,  what  is 
that  little  thing  swinging  up  there  ?  " 


Spring  in  the  Apple  Tree.  65 

Mother  Robin  said,  "  That  is  a  baby's  cradle  ; 
watch,  and  you  will  see  the  baby  wake  up  and  crawl 
out  of  the  cradle.  That  baby  learns  to  fly  very 
quickly.  When  your  wings  have  grown  stronger, 
and  your  feathers  have  grown  longer,  I  will  teach 
you  how  to  fly." 

That  made  the  little  robins  very  glad,  for  they 
wanted  to  fly  like  Mother  Robin/ 

As  they  watched  the  cocoon,  one  morning,  they 
saw  a  little  head  peep  out,  and  then  —  what  do  you 
think  they  saw  next  ?  A  beautiful  butterfly  with 
golden  brown  wings. 

They  wanted  to  fly  up  to  the  butterfly,  but  they 
had  not  yet  learned  how  to  use  their  wings. 

Mother  Robin  said,  "  To-morrow  big  Mother  Tree 
wants  every  one  to  come  to  a  party. 

"  Birds  and  bees  are  coming  to  sing ;  butterflies 
are  coming ;  and  the  violets,  crocuses,  buttercups, 
and  snow-drops  that  live  down  in  the  grass  under 
the  tree  will  be  there  with  their  smiling  faces.  You 
may  fly  down  there  to  see  them.  O  !  we  shall  have 
a  happy  time." 

The  little  birdies  were  so  glad  and  talked  so 
fast,  they  were  not  at  all  sleepy  that  night.  They 
wanted  the  morning  to  come  quickly. 

The  next  morning,  they  were  awake  very  early. 


66  Spring  in  the  Apple  Tree. 

Mr.  Wind  carried  all  the  invitations  ;  and  when  all 
the  guests  were  gathered  at  the  big  apple  tree,  Mr. 
Wind  played  some  soft  music. 

Each  tried  to  make  the  others  happy.  The 
birdies  sang  and  the  flowers  smiled.  When  the 
little  robins  succeeded  in  using  their  wings  as 
Mother  Robin  showed  them,  they  flew  down  among 
the  flowers  and  spent  a  happy  day. 

They  thought  it  a  very  beautiful  world  all  about 
them. 

Kindergarten  News. 


29.     THE    HUMMING    BIRD. 


A  LICE  and  May  were  sisters.  They  had  a  large 
**  yard  in  which  to  play,  and  loved  to  watch 
John,  the  gardener,  care  for  the  flowers. 

Alice  thought  it  would  be  very  nice  if  May  and 
she  could  have  a  flower  bed  of  their  own,  and  take 
care  of  it  without  any  help.  May  was  much  pleased 
with  this  thought,  and  both  children  ran  into  the 
house  to  find  their  mother. 

"  Mamma,  may  we  have  a  garden  of  our  own  ? " 
asked  the  girls. 

"  Certainly,  my  dears,"  answered  their  mother,  "  if 
you  will  give  the  plants  good  care." 

The  girls  promised,  and  ran  into  the  yard  to 
select  a  spot  with   plenty  of   sunshine. 

The  gardener  gave  them  a  great 
many  plants,  and  in  a  few  weeks  they 
had  beautiful  flowers  of  all  colors. 

One  day,  when  they  were  caring 
for  their  flower  friends,  they  saw  what  seemed 
to  be  a  flash  of  sunshine.     They  watched  it, 


68  The  Humming  Bird. 

and  found  that  instead  of  sunshine,  it  was  a 
little  bird. 

"  Oh,  May,"  said  Alice,  "  what  a  beautiful  bird  it 
is  !  See,  it  stays  right  over  that  flower  !  It  does 
not  rest  on  the  flower.  It  is  held  up  by  its  fluttering 
wings.  Its  wings  never  seem  to  be  still." 

"Yes,"  said  May,  "let's  call  John  and  see  if 
he  can  tell  us  its  name." 

"  John,  please  come  here  and  see  if  you  can  tell 
us  the  name  of  this  bird,"  called  Alice. 

John  was  working  near,  and  came  hurrying  to 
them.  When  he  reached  the  girls,  the  bird  had 
gone,  but  in  a  minute,  it  came  back  to  the 
flowers. 

"  That  is  a  humming  bird,"  said  John.  "  It  comes 
here  every  day  to  make  your  flowers  a  visit.  The 
Indians  call  it  '  a  living  sunbeam.'  " 

"  But  why  does  it  come  here  ? "  asked  May. 

"  Don't  you  see  that  it  runs  its  long  bill  down 
into  the  flowers  and  gets  the  sweet  honey  they  hold  ? 
In  the  same  way,  it  takes  any  little  insects  that  may 
be  in  them." 

"  There  it  goes  !  "  said  Alice.     "  Hear  it  hum  !  " 

"  It  makes  that  noise  with  its  wings,"  said  John. 
"  It  flies  so  swiftly  that  we  can  hardly  see  that  it 
has  wings." 


HUMMING    BIRDS. 


The  Humming  Bird.  69 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  a  humming  bird's  nest  ?  " 
asked  Alice. 

"Yes,"  said  John,  "last  summer  two  humming 
birds  had  a  nest  in  that  tree." 

"  Please  tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Alice. 

"  Well,  the  nest  was  a  little  fairy  cradle,  about 
half  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg  and  as  soft  as  cotton. 
It  was  made  of  soft  moss  and  lined  with  the  down 
of  the  young  fern  and  soft  cotton  fibers.  The  father 
bird  brought  the  materials  for  the  nest,  and  the 
mother  bird  arranged  them. 

"  When  I  found  the  nest,  it  had  two  little  eggs  in 
it.  Each  was  a  trifle  larger  than  a  pea  and  quite 
white. 

"A  little  later,  I  saw  two  tiny  birds,  no  larger 
than  bees.  You  must  be  very  careful  when  you  go 
near  a  nest,  for  the  mother  bird  fears  you  will  take 
her  babies.  She  will  fly  at  you  and  try  to  pick  out 
your  eyes. 

"  Not  long  afterwards,  I  saw  the  father  and  mother 
birds  teaching  the  little  humming  birds  to  fly,  and 
soon  they  were  gone." 

The  girls  were  much  pleased  with  John's  story. 
They  came  every  day,  while  the  flowers  lasted,  to 
watch  their  new  friend. 


30.  THE  WOODPECKER. 


bright  morning  in  April,  Alice  and  Mabel 
were  out  walking  near  a  wood.     Suddenly 
they  heard  a  tap,  tap,  tap-tap-tap  ! 
"  What  is  knocking  ?  "  asked  Alice. 
"  It  comes  from   this  large  old  oak,"  answered 
Mabel. 

"  Oh,  it  is  a  bird !  I  see  his  red  head. 
Let  us  watch  him." 

"  His  breast  is  a  yellowish  white,  but 
his  back  is  speckled,  black  and  white," 
said  Mabel. 

"  See,  there  he  goes  !  How  fast  he  climbs  up 
the  tree  !  I  should  think  he  would  fall  off," 
exclaimed  Alice.  "  His  feet  cannot  be  like  Mrs. 
Robin's." 

"  No,"  said  Mabel.  "  This  bird  is  a  climber,  and 
they  have  two  toes  in  front  and  two  behind.  Their 
claws  are  long  and  curved." 

"  I  wonder  how  he  makes  that  noise,"  said 
Alice. 


The  Woodpecker.  71 

"  He  makes  it  with  his  bill.  It  must  be  very 
sharp,  for  he  sticks  it  way  into  the  wood,"  said 
Mabel. 

"  Why  is  he  tapping  ?  "  asked  Alice. 

Their  mother,  who  was  not  far  behind,  came 
up  just  in  time  to  answer  this  question. 

"  He  is  eating  his  breakfast,  Alice." 

"  Out  of  wood  ?  How  can  that  be  ?  "  asked 
both  girls  at  once. 

Mamma  stepped  to  the  old  tree,  and  stripped 
off  a  piece  of  bark.  "  What  do  we  find  here, 
girls  ?  " 

"  Little  worms  and  bugs,"  said  Alice. 

"  Those  are  what  Mr.  Woodpecker  is  after. 
There  is  something  very  strange  about  his  tongue. 
The  end  of  it  is  covered  with  little  sharp  points," 
said  mamma,  "  so  the  insects  cannot  get  away 
from  him." 

"  Mamma,"  said  Alice,  "  some  of  the  insects 
are  very  tiny." 

"Yes,  but  he  has  another  way  of  catching 
those.  He  has  a  sticky  substance  on  the  end 
of  his  tongue,  and  the  tiny  insects  are  caught 
by  it." 

"  Look  just  above  your  head,  dear.  Do  you  see 
the  little  round  hole  in  that  large  dead  limb  ?  " 


72  The  Woodpecker. 

"  Yes,  but  where  does  Mr.  Woodpecker  build 
his  riest  ? "  said  Mabel. 

"  Ha  !  Ha  ! "  laughed  mamma,  "  that  is  the 
door  to  his  little  house  in  the  limb.  He  and  his 
mate  take  turns  in  digging  with  their  sharp 
bills.  They  make  the  hole  larger  and  larger, 
until  they  have  a  little  hall  and  a  room  down 
stairs.  They  often  make  a  deep  hole.  It  is 
sometimes  fifteen  or  twenty  inches  deep. 

"  Don't  you  think  the  little  birdies  are  well 
sheltered  from  the  rain  and  wind  in  that  deep 
room  ?  "  asked  their  mother. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  answered  the  girls,  "  he  takes 
good  care  of  his  little  ones." 


THE    WOODPECKER. 


31.     THE    ORIGIN    OF    THE    WOODPECKER. 


T^HERE  was  an  old  lady  who  lived  on  a  hill. 
She  was  very  small,  and  she  always  wore  a 
black  dress,  and  a  large  white  apron  with  big  bows 
behind. 

On  her  head,  she  wore  the  queerest  little  red 
bonnet  you  ever  saw. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  to  tell,  but  the  little  old  lady 
had  grown  very  selfish  as  the  years  went  by. 

People  said  this  was  because  she  lived  all  alone, 
and  thought  of  no  one  but  herself. 

One  morning,  as  she  was  baking  cakes,  a  tired, 
hungry  old  man  came  to  her  door. 

"  My  good  woman,"  said  he,  "  will  you  give  me 
one  of  your  cakes  ?  I  am  very  hungry.  I  have 
no  money  to  pay  for  it,  but  whatever  you  first 
wish  for,  you  shall  have." 

Then  the  old  lady  looked  at  her  cakes,  and 
thought  that  these  were  too  large  to  give  away. 

So  she  broke  off  a  small  bit  of  dough,  and  put 
it  into  the  oven  to  bake. 


74  The  Origin  of  the  Woodpecker. 

But  when  it  was  done,  she  thought  this  one 
was  too  nice  and  brown  for  a  beggar. 

So  she  baked  a  smaller  one,  and  then  a  smaller 
one,  but  still  each  was  as  nice  and  as  brown  as 
the  first. 

At  last,  she  took  a  piece  of  dough  only  as 
big  as  the  head  of  a  pin,  yet  even  this,  when 
it  was  baked,  looked  as  large  and  fine  as  the 
others. 

So  the  old  lady  put  all  the  cakes  on  the  shelf, 
and  offered  the  old  man  a  dry  crust  of  bread. 

But  the  poor  man  only  looked  at  her,  and 
before  the  old  lady  could  wink  her  eye,  he  was 
gone. 

Then  the  old  lady  thought  a  good  deal  about 
it,  and  knew  that  she  had  done  wrong. 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  were  a  bird,"  said  she,  "  I  would 
fly  to  him  with  the  largest  cake  on  the  shelf." 

As  she  spoke,  she  felt  herself  growing  smaller 
and  smaller,  until  the  wind  picked  her  up  and 
carried  her  up  the  chimney. 

When  she  came  out,  she  still  had  on  her  red 
bonnet  and  black  dress.  You  could  still  see  her 
large  white  apron  with  the  big  bows  behind. 

But  she  was  no  longer  an  old  lady,  but  a  bird, 
just  as  she  had  wished  to  be. 


The  Origin  of  the    Woodpecker.  75 

But  she  was  a  wise  bird  and  cheerfully  began 
to  pick  her  food  out  of  the  hard  wood  of  a  tree. 

And  people  after  a  while,  when  they  saw  her 
at  work,  named  her  the  red-headed  woodpecker. 

Flora  Cooke's  Myths.    A.  FLANAGAN,  Publ. 


32.      THE    DUCK. 


1HE  duck  is  a  swimming  bird.  It  can 
swim,  dive,  and  walk.  It  does  not 
walk  well,  and  instead  of  saying  a  duck  '  walks,' 
we  often  say  it  *  waddles.' 

Its  short,  strong  legs  are  set  far  back  so  that 
it  can  push  itself  through  the  water. 

-The  duck's  feet  have  three  toes  in  front,  which 
are  united  by  a  web.  The  hind  toe  is  short. 
When  this  bird  swims,  it  uses  its  webbed  feet  as 
paddles. 

It  has  a  boat-shaped  body,  which  is  covered 
with  feathers.  Underneath  the  feathers  is  a  thick 
covering  of  down. 

Does  the  duck  get  wet  when  it  swims  ? 

Oh,  no !  the  down  and  the  oiled  feathers  keep 
it  dry.  Did  you  ever  see  one  make  its  toilet  ? 

It  seems  to  know  that  its  feathers  overlap  one 
another  so  closely  that  when  they  are  all  straight 
and  well  oiled,  the  water  cannot  reach  its  body. 

All  birds  keep  their  feathers  in  very  neat  order. 
I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  one  dirty 
or  untidy,  unless  it  was  too  ill  to  care  for  itself. 


The  Duck. 


77 


The  duck's  bill  is  broad  and  flat.  The  duck 
has  no  teeth  ;  but  there  are  little  notches  on  the 
edges  of  the  bill.  This  bird  is  very  fond  of  gather- 
ing some  of  its  food  under  the  water.  These 
notches  are  used  to  drain  the  water  from  the 
food  it  gets  in  this  way. 

Have  you  ever  thought  that  the  flying  and 
swimming  birds  use  their  tails  as  rudders  ? 

The  flying  birds  steer  themselves  through  the 
air  by  their  tails ;  the  swimming  birds  through 
the  water. 

Do  you  know 
the  names  of  other 
birds  belonging  to 
the  family  of  swim- 
mers ? 


33.     THE    HEN. 


day  in  summer,  all  the  fowls  in  Farmer 
Green's  barnyard  had  a  meeting.  Each,  in 
turn,  was  to  tell  something  about  himself.  It 
came  the  hen's  turn  to  talk. 

"  My  friends,"  she  said,  "  I  belong  to  the  family 
of  scratchers.  My  legs  are  short  and  are  in  the 
center  of  my  body.  On  each  foot,  I  have  three 
toes  in  front  and  one  behind. 

"  All  my  family  have  rough  toes  and  nails  that 
are  short  and  blunt.  If  our  nails  were  long  and 
sharp,  they  would  not  help  us  in  scratching,  and 
we  could  not  walk  so  well.  When  .we  place  our 
feet  on  the  ground,  the  toes  spread. 

"  Our  home  is  not  in  the  air  or  in   the  water, 
but  on  the  ground.     So  our  wings  are  not  strong. 
"  My   sister   hens    and    I    are    never    idle,   but 
scratch   all    day   for   our   food.     We 
like  very  much  to  eat  the  worms  and 
bugs  we  find.     I  have  heard  children 
say,  *  I  wonder  how  the  hen  can  see 
those  little    bugs,    I   cannot.'      They 

7* 


FARMER    GREEN'S    BARNYARD. 


The  Hen.  79 

• 

forget  our  legs  are  so  short  that  our  sharp  eyes 
are  only  a  little  way  from  the  ground. 

"  Sometimes,  we  take  time  to  go  into  the  barn 
where  Farmer  Green  has  made  our  nests,  and 
there  we  lay  nice  fresh  eggs. 

"  My  sister,  Mrs.  Speckle,  has  been  sitting  on 
some  eggs  for  about  three  weeks.  To-day,  she 
came  off  the  nest  with  her  little  family. 

"  The  little  chicks  look  like  fluffy  balls  on 
legs. 

"  Mrs.  Speckle  scratches  until  she  finds  a  nice 
bug  or  worm,  and  then  calls,  *  Cluck,  cluck,'  which 
means  '  Come  here,  children,  I  have  found  some- 
thing for  you.'  How  quickly  they  snatch  up  the 
worm  or  bug ! 

"  We  do  not  have  to  feed  our  babies  as  Mrs. 
Robin  does.  At  first,  we  scratch  for  them,  but 
very  soon,  they  do  this  for  themselves.  It  is  very 
funny  to  see  young  chicks  try  to  scratch  with 
their  tiny  feet. 

"  Mrs.  Duck  asks  if  we  have  teeth  to  grind 
our  food.  No,  we  have  no  real  teeth,  but  we 
have  something  which  takes  their  place. 

"  Our  food  passes  from  the  mouth  into  the  crop, 
and  from  the  crop  to  the  gizzard.  Here,  the 
grinding  takes  place. 


8o  The  Hen. 

• 

"  When  we  are  picking  up  bugs  and  worms, 
we  also  pick  up  gravel  which  helps  to  grind  our 
food. 

"  My  friends,  I  think  I  will  let  some  one  else 
take  my  place.  I  have  talked  for  a  long  time." 


THE    SNIPE. 


34.     THE    SNIPE. 


HPHE  snipe  makes   its   home   in    damp,  marshy 
places.     It  belongs  to  the  family  of  wading 
birds. 

Many  of  the  members  of  this  family  have  long 
legs,  but  the  snipe's  legs  are  short.  With  its 
long,  straight,  slender  bill,  it  feels  about  in  the 
mud  for  worms. 

Its  eyes  are  large,  and  placed  far  back  to  guard 
it  against  danger  when  it  is  feeling  for  food  in 
the  mud. 

Each  foot  has  three  toes  in  front,  and  one 
behind.  The  tail  is  short,  with  either  fourteen 
or  sixteen  feathers. 

The  nest  is  made  of  dry  grasses,  in  a 
small  hole  in  the  ground,  or  in  a  tuft  of 
grass  or  rushes.  The  eggs  are  greenish 
yellow  speckled  with  brown. 

The  flesh  of  the  snipe  is  highly  prized  for 
food,  but  the  young  hunter  finds  it  a  hard  bird 
to  shoot,  for  when  frightened,  it  will  fly  in  a 
zigzag  course  through  the  air. 


82  The  Snipe. 

The  snipe  is  very  fond  of  its  young.  If  it 
hears  you  coming  near  its  nest,  it  will  keep  per- 
fectly still,  hoping  that  it  will  not  be  noticed. 

It  will  not  move  until  you  have  reached  its 
nest.  Then  it  will  fly  off  a  short  distance,  and 
cry,  and  limp  as  if  it  were  hurt.  It  hopes  you 
will  feel  sorry  for  it,  and  come  to  help  it,  leaving 
its  young  undisturbed. 


35.     JACK   AND   THE    OSTRICH. 


afternoon,  Jack  was  all  alone  in  the  sit- 
ting  room.  It  was  very  quiet,  and  he  was 
looking  at  a  book  containing  pictures  of  birds. 
He  came  to  a  picture  of  an  ostrich,  and  thought 
"  What  a  queer-looking  bird  that  is  !  " 

Soon  his  eyes  began  to  close,  his  head  nodded, 
and  Jack  was  fast  asleep. 

Do  you  know  where  '  the  Land  of  Nod '  is  ? 
Well,  Jack  found  himself  in  'the  Land  of  Nod.' 
What  do  you  think  he  saw  ?  A  large  ostrich 
just  like  the  one  in  his  book. 

"  How  do  you  do,  little  boy  ?  "  said  the  ostrich. 

"  I  am  well,  thank  you.  How  are  you  ?  "  said 
Jack.  "  Where  did  you  come  from,  Mr.  Ostrich  ?  " 


84  Jack  and  tJie  Ostrich. 

"  My  home  is  across  the  sea  in  the  hot  desert," 
said  the  ostrich. 

"  How  tall  you  are  !  "    said  Jack. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  ostrich,  "  I  am  the  largest  of 
all  the  birds.  I  am  seven  feet  high." 

"Oh  !  your  head  is  higher  than  my  father's. 
Why  do  you  need  that  long  neck  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  know,  little  boy,  I  have  to  reach 
up  into  the  tall  trees  to  get  some  of  my  food  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  ate  glass,  stones,  and  leather," 
said  Jack. 

"  I  do,  but  only  when  I  can  find  nothing  better. 
I  often  swallow  small  stones  to  help  grind  my 
food,  but  I  am  fond  of  fruit,  leaves,  grain,  snails, 
and  insects." 

"  You  have  a  very  small  head  and  wings.  Can 
you  fly,  Mr.  Ostrich  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Oh,  no  !  my  wings  are  too  small ;  but  I  can 
run  faster  than  any  horse.  Would  you  like  to 
see  me  ?  " 

Before  Jack  could  answer  the  ostrich  was 
gone.  How  fast  he  ran  !  In  a  few  minutes  Jack 
could  not  see  him. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  he,  "  I  do  hope  he  will  come  back, 
for  I  like  to  talk  with  him/1 


THE    OSTRICH. 


Jack  and  the  Ostrich.  85 

Jack  waited  patiently,  and  soon  saw  the  ostrich 
running  back  towards  him. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Ostrich,"  said  Jack,  "  that  was  fine. 
I  should  not  care  to  race  with  you.  Can  you  tell 
me  how  you  run  so  swiftly  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  ostrich,  "  look  at  my  feet, 
and  you  will  see  a  pad  under  each.  These  help 
me  to  spring  at  every  step.  My  wings  help  me, 
and  my  legs  are  so  long  that  I  get  over  the 
ground  very  rapidly. 

"  Jack,  did  you  ever  see  any  ostrich's  eggs  ? " 

"  No,"  said  Jack,  "  please  tell  me  about  them." 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Ostrich  and  two  or  three  of  her 
friends  dig  a  hole  in  the  sand.  The  mothers  lay 
their  eggs  in  the  same  hole,  and  take  turns  in 
sitting  upon  them.  Sometimes,  one  of  the  fathers 
takes  a  turn  sitting,  while  the  mothers  go  visit- 
ing. Then  the  hot  sun  shines  on  the  eggs  every 
day  and  helps  them  to  hatch. 

"  The  eggs  are  as  large  as  cocoanuts.  People, 
who  make  their  homes  in  the  desert,  eat  these 
eggs.  One  egg  is  large  enough  for  the  whole 
family." 

"  Your  head  and  neck  are  nearly  bare,  and  your 
prettiest  feathers  grow  in  your  wings  and  tail," 
said  Jack. 


86  Jack  and  the  Ostrich. 

"Yes,"  said  the  ostrich,  "our  wing  and  tail 
feathers  are  the  plumes  that  the  ladies  wear  in 
their  hats.  I  must  go  now.  Good-bye,  Jack." 

Just  then  Jack  heard  a  noise.  He  awoke  with 
a  start.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  have  had  a  fine  talk 
with  Mr.  Ostrich,  and  learned  many  things  about 
him. 

"My  book  tells  me  a  queer  thing  about  these 
birds.  When  they  wish  to  hide,  they  bury  their 
heads  in  the  sand.  They  seem  to  think  that 
they  cannot  be  seen,  because  they  cannot  see. 
They  are  often  caught  because  of  this." 


36.     THE    OWL. 


owl  is  one  of  those  birds  which  go  about 
in  the  nighttime  in  search  of  food.  It  is 
called  a  bird  of  prey,  because  it  lives  on  birds  not 
so  strong  as  itself,  mice,  and  other  small  animals. 

Owls  are  often  called  winged  cats,  or  cats  in 
feathers.  Tame  owls  become  very  friendly  with 
puss,  just  as  if  they  knew  that  she  was  a  relation. 

During  the  daytime,  owls  hide  away  in  holes 
in  trees,  in  caves,  and  old  buildings,  but  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening,  when  they  can  see  better  than 


88  The  Owl. 

in  the  broad  daylight,  they  fly  around  looking  for 
game. 

They  catch  their  prey  with  their  claws,  and  if 
it  is  small,  they  swallow  it  whole;  the  bones,  hair, 
or  feathers  being  afterward  thrown  up  rolled  in  a 
ball.  If  it  is  large,  they  first  tear  it  into  pieces. 

Owls'  feathers  are  very  soft,  so  their  flight  is 
noiseless.  The  feathers,  even  those  of  the  wings, 
are  downy. 

The  legs  and  feet,  of  most  owls,  are  feathered  to 
the  toes,  and  in  many  kinds,  even  to  the  claws. 

Owls  have  large  heads  with  flat  faces.  The 
eyes  are  round  and  staring.  They  look  very  wise 
and  knowing. 

The  bill  is  sharp  and  hooked,  curving  almost 
from  its  base. 

During  the  night,  they  hoot  sometimes  for 
hours.  Often  the  noise  sounds  so  much  like  a 
person  in  distress  that  people,  who  do  not  know 
them,  have  gone  out  with  lanterns  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  All  the  time,  the  owls  have  been 
enjoying  themselves,  hunting  mice  and  birds. 

The  barn  owl  lives  in  old  buildings,  or  the 
hollow  trunks  of  trees.  It  destroys  great  num- 
bers of  rats  and  mice,  and  is  a  true  friend  to  the 
farmer. 


THE  .OWL. 


The  Owl.  89 

If  the  barn  owl  catches  more  food  than  it  needs, 
it  stores  it  up  for  future  use. 

It  hardly  ever  leaves  its  home  by  day,  unless 
driven  out.  When  this  is  the  case,  all  the  little 
birds  in  the  neighborhood  attack  it  in  flocks. 
They  seem  to  think  it  an  enemy  which  they 
know  they  can  annoy.  As  the  owl  cannot  see 
very  well,  it  sometimes  has  a  hard  time  defending 
itself. 

The  barn  owl  has  perfect  disks  of  feathers 
around  the  eyes.  The  tail  is  rather  short  and 
round ;  the  wings  reach  beyond  the  tail.  The 
toes  of  this  owl  are  not  feathered. 

The  horned  owls  have  tufts  of  feathers  on  their 
heads  which  stand  up  like  horns  or  ears. 

If  these  tufts  are  pushed  away,  you  can  see 
a  curious  opening  into  the  head  which  is  the 
true  ear. 

The  screech  owl  is  much  like  the  horned  owl, 
only  smaller. 


37.     THE    PIGEON    AND    THE    OWL. 


T^HERE   once  was  a  pigeon,  as   I    have  heard 
say, 

Who  wished  to  be  wise ; 
She  thought  to  herself,  "  I  will  go  to  the  owl, 

Perhaps  he  '11  advise  ; 
And  if  all  he  tells  me,  I  carefully  do, 
I  '11  surely  get  wisdom."     Away  then  she  flew. 

When  little  Miss  Pigeon  arrived  at  the  barn 

She  found  the  owl  there  ; 
Most  humbly  she  cooed  out  her  wish,  but  the  owl 

Did  nothing  but  stare. 
"Well,  well,"  thought   Miss   Pigeon,  "of  course   I 

can  wait, 
I  won't  interrupt  him ;    his  wisdom  is  great." 

She  waited  and  waited.     At  last  the  owl  blinked, 

And  deigned  a  remark, 

u  You  '11  never  be  wise,  foolish  pigeon,  unless 
You  stay  in  the  dark, 


The  Pigeon  and  the  Owl.  91 

And  stretch   your  small   eyes,  and  fly  out  in  the 

night, 
And  cry,  '  Hoo-hoo-hoo,'  with  all  your  might." 

So  little  Miss  Pigeon  to  practice  began  ; 

But  all  she  could  do 
Her  eyes  would  not  stretch  and  her  voice  would 

not  change 
Its  soft,  gentle  coo; 
And  she  caught  a  sad  cold  from  the  night  damp 

and  chill, 
And  lacking  the  sunshine  besides,  she  fell  ill. 

Then  little  Miss  Pigeon  gave  up  being  wise ; 

"  For  plainly,"  said  she, 
"  Though  owls  are  the  wisest  of  birds,  theirs  is  not 

The  wisdom  for  me  ; 
So  I  '11  be  the  very  best  pigeon   I  can." 
And   what   do   you    think  ?      She    grew   wise    on 
that  plan. 

From  McMurry's  Classic  Stories  for  the  Little  Ones. 

By  permission  of  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PUBL.  Co. 


38.     THE    FROGS'    EGGS. 


A  LBERT  had  gone  to  visit  his  uncle  who  lived 
**  in  the  country.  One  day  in  April,  when 
they  were  taking  a  walk  near  a  pond,  Albert 
saw  on  the  surface  of  the  water  something  which 
was  strange  to  him. 

"  Uncle  George,"  said  he,  "what  is  that  jelly-like 
mass  floating  on  the  water  ? 
It  has  black  dots  in  it." 

"  Those  are  frogs'  eggs,"  said 
his  uncle.  "  They  are  some- 
times called  frogs'  spawn.  Let 
us  get  some  of  them  in  a  pail, 
and  take  them  home." 

They  took  the  eggs  home, 
and  put  them  into  a  tub  of 
water.  In  two  or  three  days, 
they  noticed  that  the  little 
eggs  became  larger  and  larger ;  and  instead  of 
remaining  round,  they  became  oblong. 

About  a  week  later,  when  Albert  looked  into  the 
tub,  he  cried,  "  Oh  uncle,  there  are  some  little  fish 
swimming  around.  They  look  all  head  and  tail  ! " 


The  Frogs  Eggs.  93 

"Some  of  the  eggs  have  hatched,  and  those 
are  little  tadpoles.  Now,  you  must  go  to  the 
pond  and  get  some  pond-weeds  for  them  to  eat." 

"  Yes,  I  will  go ;  but  will  the  tadpoles  ever  be 
frogs  ? "  asked  Albert. 

"  Watch  them,  and  see  what  you  think  about 
it,"  said  his  uncle. 

Albert  did  as  his  uncle  told  him,  and  this  is 
what  he  saw. 

Soon,  some  gills,  which  the  tadpoles  used  in 
breathing,  grew  outside  the  head. 

When  the  tadpoles  had  grown  a  little  more, 
the  hind  legs  began  to  develop.  The  gills  grew 
smaller.  Then  the  front  legs  appeared,  and  the 
tails  became  shorter.  The  gills  were  covered  by 
a  thin  skin,  and  changed  into  lungs. 

Then,  much  to  Albert's  delight,  three  little 
fellows  hopped  out  of  the  tub,  —  little  frogs 
with  tails.  But  these  tails  grew  smaller  and 
smaller,  and  at  last  disappeared. 

Albert  knew  that  the  frogs  would  be  happier 
near  a  pond,  so  he  took  them  to  one  near  by, 
where  many  of  their  relations  were  croaking. 


39.     FROGS    AND    TOADS. 


A  LBERT  stayed  to  watch  the  frogs.  Soon,  he 
**  saw  their  cousin,  the  toad,  come  hopping 
along.  What  a  merry  family  they  were  ! 

The  bullfrog  would  give  a  deep,  gruff  "  Ker- 
chog !  ker-chog ! "  and  the  smaller  frogs  would 
answer  in  pleasanter  tones. 

Just  then,  his  uncle  came  to  the  pond  and  said, 
"  Let  me  tell  you  something  about  the  frogs  and 
toads  : 

"  Frogs  spend  most  of  their  time  on  land  now. 
Frogs  and  toads  breathe  by  taking  air  into  their 
mouths,  and  swallowing  it.  That  is  what  they 
are  doing  when  you  see  their  throats  swelling  out. 
"  They  have  another  way  of  breathing.  There 
are  little  pores  in  their  skin  through  which  they 
breathe.  This  is  one  reason 
why  they  like  moist,  shady 
places  when  the  sun  is  shining. 
The  hot  sun  dries  up  the  pores. 
"  The  frog's  skin  is  smooth, 
but  the  toad  is  covered  with 
warts.  People  used  to  believe 


94 


V 


-  ""      "^ 


^^s 


THE    FROGS. 


Frogs  and  Toads.  95 

that  handling  toads  would  give  one  warts,  but 
that  is  not  true. 

"  The  frog's  foot  has  four  toes  or  fingers  in 
front,  and  five  toes  behind.  The  hind  legs  are 
very  long,  and  are  used  for  leaping  and  swimming. 

"  The  hind  toes  are  united  by  a  web  which 
helps  the  frog  in  swimming. 

"  The  tongue  of  the  frog  or  toad  is  very  curious. 
It  is  fastened  at  the  front  of  the  jaw.  It  is  long, 
and  he  can  roll  it  out  very  quickly.  You  cannot 
see  him  do  it.  The  tongue  is  covered  with  a 
sticky  substance,  which  helps  to  hold  the  insects 
that  he  catches. 

"  Toads  are  useful  in  gardens,  for  they  eat 
many  insects  which  would  do  great  harm  by 
destroying  the  flowers  and  vegetables. 

"  Gardeners  feel  very  friendly  toward  the  toad, 
and  are  always  glad  to  see  him  in  their  gardens. 
Although  toads  eat  so  many  insects,  they  can  go 
a  long  time  without  eating.  Toads  can  easily  be 
tamed,  and  people  often  make  pets  of  them. 

"  The  mother  toads  go  to  the  ponds  to  lay 
their  eggs,  and  the  toads'  eggs  are  hatched  in 
the  same  way  as  the  frogs'  eggs. 

"  During  the  winter,  some  frogs  and  toads  bury 
themselves  in  the  mud  in  the  bottom  of  ponds." 


40.     THE    TURTLES. 


/CHARLES  had  a  cousin  named  Roy,  who 
^^  lived  in  the  country,  near  a  small  lake. 
Many  turtles  made  their  home  in  this  lake. 

Roy  came  to  visit  his  cousin  at  the  latter's 
city  home.  He  brought  him  two  baby  turtles  in 
a  tin  can. 

Charles  was  much  pleased  with  his  new  pets, 
and  the  boys  set  to  work  to  make  the  turtles  a 
home.  They  found  an  old  tub,  and  put  in  water 
and  stones.  Sometimes,  the  baby  turtles  would 
swim  about ;  at  other  times,  they  would  crawl  up 
on  the  stones. 

The  boys   caught   flies   for   the    turtles    to   eat. 
How    they    laughed    to    see    the 
little  turtles  snap  them  up  ! 
One  day,  as  they  sat  watching 
their  pets,  Charlie  said,  "  Roy, 


The   Turtles.  97 

you    have   lived    near  turtles   so    long, 
tell  me  something  about  them." 

"  There  are  some  kinds  of  turtles  I  have  never 
seen ;  but  I  have  heard  and  read  about  them," 
said  Roy. 

"Some  live  on  the  land,  and  are  called  land 
turtles  ;  some  live  in  the  sea,  and  are  called  sea 
turtles  ;  some  live  in  lakes,  rivers,  and  streams, 
and  are  called  river  or  pond  turtles. 

"  The  turtle  has  a  hard  shell  for  its  house.  It 
draws  in  its  head,  legs,  and  tail  when  danger  is 


near." 


Charles  had  noticed  this,  and  took  one  of  the 
turtles  in  his  hand  to  count  the  plates  on  the 
top  of  its  house.  How  many  large  ones  did  he 
find  ?  How  many  small  ones  around  the  edge  ? 

"Put  the  turtles  on  the  floor,"  said  Roy,  "and 
watch  them  walk.  See  how  they  push  themselves 
along  with  their  sharp  claws  !  Hear  their  shell 
go  rap,  rap,  as  they  move  along.  Can  you  tell 
why  it  makes  this  rapping  noise  ? 

"  I  once  had  a  turtle,  which  I  kept  in  the 
house  all  winter.  It  became  very  tame,  and 
would  follow  me  all  over  the  lower  part  of  the 
house. 

"  It    could    not    go    up    stairs,    but    one    day    it 


98  The   Turtles, 

followed  me  down.  I  had  taken  it  up  stairs  and 
left  it  while  I  went  down  to  read. 

"  Soon,  I  heard  a  noise.  It  sounded  as  if  some- 
thing had  dropped  on  the  stairs. 

"  Going  out  into  the  hall,  I  saw  the  turtle  on 
one  of  the  top  steps.  I  stood  still  to  see  what  it 
would  do. 

"  It  crawled  out  until  its  shell  just  balanced  on 
the  edge  of  the  step.  Then  it  drew  in  its  head, 
legs,  and  tail,  and  dropped  to  the  next  step.  It 
waited  a  minute,  then  out  came  its  head,  legs, 
and  tail,  and  it  crawled  to  the  edge  of  that  step. 
Here,  it  balanced  itself  ready  for  its  fall  to  the 
next.  It  kept  this  up  until  it  came  down  all  the 
stairs  to  the  place  where  I  stood. 

"  Turtles  have  been  known  to  go  without  any- 
thing to  eat  for  weeks,  and  it  has  not  seemed  to 
harm  them.  They  have  no  teeth  ;  but  their  jaws 
are  covered  with  horn. 

"  Most  land  and  pond  turtles  are  quite  harmless, 
if  you  are  careful  not  to  put  your  fingers  near 
their  mouths.  But  there  is  one  kind  of  fresh- 
water turtle  that  would  bite  off  your  finger  in  a 
moment.  This  is  called  the  snapping  turtle.  The 
snapping  turtle  lives  in  the  water  most  of  the 
time,  but  comes  out  long  enough  to  lay  its  eggs. 


LU 


The   Turtles.   '  '  99 

"  This  turtle  grows  to  be  very  large.  Some 
have  been  found  more  than  four  feet  long.  Its 
shell  is  so  hard,  that  it  will  bear  the  weight  of 
a  man.  The  flesh  of  snapping  turtles  is  good 
for  food,  and  they  are  caught  to  sell. 

"  The  sea  turtle  comes  out  of  the  water  only 
long  enough  to  lay  its  eggs.  Its  legs  are  made 
for  swimming,  and  look  like  paddles.  Its  fore 
legs  are  much  the  longer.  The  legs  are  so  very 
strong,  that  the  turtles  can  move  through  the 
water  like  a  flash. 

"  In  the  warm  days  of  spring,  the  turtle  lays 
its  eggs  in  the  dry  sand.  It  digs  a  little  hole 
with  its  feet,  and  drops  in  the  eggs.  It  scratches 
and  smooths  the  sand  over  them,  so  that  few 
people  would  notice  that  they  had  been  laid  there. 

"  It  does  not  stay  to  hatch  its  eggs,  but  leaves 
that  for  the  warm  sun  to  do.  When  the  eggs 
are  hatched,  the  baby  turtles  scratch  their  way 
out  of  the  sand  and  crawl  off. 

"  The  turtles  do  not  like  King  Winter  with 
his  snow  and  ice  ;  so  they  bury  themselves  in 
the  sand  or  mud.  There  they  sleep  until  he  has 
gone  back  to  his  home  in  the  far  north." 


ADVERTISEMENTS 


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CYR'S   CHILDREN'S  READERS. 

By  ELLEN  M.  CYR. 

A  series  of  readers  prepared  expressly  for  the  first,  second  and 
third  years  of  school  life.  These  books  are  pervaded  with  the 
spirit  of  child-life,  and  all  the  best  devices  arid  methods  are  made 
use  of  to  render  the  first  steps  in  reading  easy,  interesting,  and 
j  udicious. 

THE  CHILDREN'S  PRIMER.  Fully  illustrated.  Sq.  12mo.  Cloth. 
96  pages.  Introduction  price,  24  cents. 

THE  CHILDREN'S  FIRST  READER.    Fully  illustrated.    Sq.  12mo. 

Cloth.     101  pages.     Introduction  price,  28  cents. 
THE   CHILDREN'S    SECOND    READER.      Fully   illustrated.      Sq. 

12mo.     Cloth.     186  pages.     Introduction  price,  32  cents. 
THE  CHILDREN'S  THIRD  READER.  [See  Announcements. 

READING  SLIPS.  To  be  used  in  connection  with  The  Children's  Primer,  or 
independently,  or  with  any  other  first  reading  book.  Forty-eight  inanilla 
envelopes  containing  each  twenty  sentences,  printed  in  large  type  on  stiff 
manilla  paper.  Introduction  price,  five  cents  per  envelope. 

The  Children's  Primer  is  written  especially  for  the  children, 
and,  as  one  may  say,  with  the  children.  It  contains  more  reading- 
matter,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  new  words,  than  any  other 
book  in  the  market. 

The  sentences  are  short,  childlike,  and  full  of  expression  ;  the 
illustrations,  not  only  artistic,  but  suggestive  ;  and  the  new  words 
are  introduced  so  gradually  and  repeated  so  constantly  that  the 
little  ones  are  enabled  to  hold  fast  all  they  learn. 

The  Children's  First  Reader  is  made  for  the  second  half-year, 
it  is  a  simple  but  steady  growth  in  the  same  line  with  the  Primer, 
mid  makes  possible  a  real  advance  instead  of  a  constant  stopping 
and  beginning  over  again. 

The  Children's  Second  Reader  is  written  on  the  same  general 
plan  of  slow  but  steady  progress  manifested  in  the  first  books  of 
this  series. 

Stories  from  the  lives  of  Longfellow  and  Whittier  form  a  con- 
siderable share  of  its  contents.  These  bear  especially  upon  the 
relation  of  the  two  poets  to  child-life,  and  are  intended  to  awaken 
a  personal  interest  in  them  and  their  poems. 


174  JANE  ANDREWS'  BOOKS. 

THE  JANE  ANDREWS  BOOKS. 

By  JANP:  ANDREWS. 

A  remarkable  series  of  attractive  and  interesting  books  for 
young  people,  —  written  in  a  clear,  easy,  and  picturesque  style. 
This  is  the  famous  Jane  Andrews  series,  which  has  been  for  many 
years  an  old-time  favorite  with  young  folks. 

THE  SEVEN  LITTLE  SISTERS  WHO  LIVE  ON  THE  ROUND 
BALL  THAT  FLOATS  IN  THE  AIR.  Cloth.  143  pages. 
Illustrated.  For  introduction,  50  cents. 

EACH  AND  ALL;  THE  SEVEN  LITTLE  SISTERS  PROVE 
THEIR  SISTERHOOD.  Cloth.  Illustrated.  162  pages.  For 
introduction,  50  cents. 

THE  STORIES  MOTHER  NATURE  TOLD  HER  CHILDREN. 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     161  pages.     For  introduction,  50  cents. 

TEN  BOYS  WHO  LIVED  ON  THE  ROAD  FROM  LONG  AGO  TO 
NOW.  Cloth.  243  pages.  Illustrated.  For  introduction,  50 
cents. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  PLAYS.  Cloth.  140  pages.  For  introduction, 
$1.00. 

Books  of  genius  are  rare,  and  rarest  of  all  among  books  for 
schools.  The  Jane  Andrews  Books  appear  to  be  of  this  remark- 
able sort.  They  are  not  to  be  classed  with  the  good  but  common- 
place things  that  any  of  us  might  write  on  the  same  subject. 
There  is  found  about  them  the  certain  indefinable  something  which, 
as  the  ancients  said  of  the  walk  of  their  divinities,  reveals  more 
than  ordinary  mortal.  As  a  consequence  they  possess  a  peculiar 
quality  of  life  and  interest  and  inspiration.  They  not  only 
instruct,  but  quicken. 

The  "Seven  Little  Sisters"  represent  the  seven  races.  The 
book  shows  how  people  live  in  the  various  parts  of  the  world, 
what  their  manners  and  customs  are,  what  the  products  of  each 
section  are  and  how  they  are  interchanged. 

"Each  and  All"  continues  the  story  of  "Seven  Little  Sisters," 
and  tells  more  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  various  races,  especially 
in  relation  to  childhood. 

In  "  Stories  Mother  Nature  Told  "  Dame  Nature  unfolds  some 
of  her  most  precious  secrets.  She  tells  about  the  amber,  about 


OPEN    SESAME. 


175 


the  dragon-fly  and  its  wonderful  history,  about  water-lilies,  how 
the  Indian  corn  grows,  what  queer  pranks  the  Frost  Giants 
indulge  in,  about  coral,  and  starfish,  and  coal  mines,  and  many 
other  things  that  children  delight  to  hear. 

In  the  « Ten  Boys  "  the  History  of  the  World  is  summarized  in 
the  stories  of  Kabla  the  Aryan  boy,  Darius  the  Persian  boy,  Cleon 
the  Greek  boy,  Horatius  the  Roman  boy,  Wulf  the  Saxon  boy, 
Gilbert  the  Knight's  page,  Roger  the  English  boy,  Fuller  the 
Puritan  boy,  Dawson  the  Yankee  boy,  and  Frank  Wilson  the  boy 
of  1885. 

The  able,  suggestive,  and  interesting  "Geographical  Plays"  is 
designed  as  a  sort  of  review  of  each  country  or  topic,  and  it 
presents  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  subject  as  a  unit.  It  is 
used  after  a  country  has  been  faithfully  studied  from  the  geog- 
raphy, and  when  the  pupil  has  become  familiar  with  all  names 
given  in  the  play.  These  plays  are  well  written,  and  are  calcu- 
lated to  produce  an  animating  effect  upon  a  school. 

Mary  E.  Burt,  in  "  Literary  Land- 
marks" :  I  have  seen  a  six-year-old 
girl  read  Jane  Andrews'  "  Seven 
Little  Sisters,"  and  "  Each  and  All," 
repeatedly,  with  renewed  interest  at 
each  reading. 

Thomas  W.  Higginson:  I  think 
that  the  mere  reading  of  this  book 
"Seven  Little  Sisters"  —  read  over 
and  over,  as  children  always  read  a 
book  they  like  —  will  give  to  the 
young  readers  a  more  vivid  impres- 
sion of  the  shape  of  the  earth,  and  of 
the  distribution  of  nations  over  it, 
than  the  study  of  most  text-books. 


E.  A.  Sheldon,  Principal  State 
Normal  School,  Oswego,  N.  Y.:  They 
are  excellent.  I  know  of  nothing 
equal  to  them  for  the  purpose  for 
which  they  have  been  prepared.  We 
have  long  used  them  in  our  own 
school  of  practice,  and  can  recom- 
mend them  most  heartily. 

John  Gr.  Whittier:  I  have  been 
reading  the  new  book  by  Jane  An- 
drews, "Ten  Boys."  In  all  my  ac- 
quaintance with  juvenile  literature 
I  know  of  nothing  in  many  respects 
equal  to  this  remarkable  book. 


OPEN  SESAME. 

ABOUT  ONE  THOUSAND  PIECES  OF  THE  CHOICEST  PROSE 
AND  VERSE.  Compiled  by  BLANCHE  W.  BELLAMY  and  MAUD 
W.  GOODWIN.  In  three  volumes.  Sq.  12mo.  About  350  pages 
each.  Illustrated.  For  introduction,  75  cents  each. 

Among  the  many  collections  of  choice  extracts,  this  is  distin- 
guished for  its  comprehensiveness,  the  care  and  skill  with  which 
the  work  has  been  done,  the  gradation  of  the  pieces,  their  topical 
arrangement,  and  the  mechanical  excellence  of  the  volumes,  — 
clear,  large  type,  fine  illustrations,  and  handsome  binding. 


198  PHYSIOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 

PHYSIOLOGY  AND  BOTANIES. 

A  HYGIENIC  PHYSIOLOGY.  For  the  use  of  schools.  By  D.  F. 
LINCOLN,  M.D.  Cloth.  Illustrated.  200  pages.  For  introduc- 
tion, 80  cents. 

The  chief  object  of  this  book  is  to  present  the  laws  of  health  as 
fully  as  pupils  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  old  can  understand,  appre- 
ciate, and  apply  them. 

LITTLE  FLOWER-PEOPLE.  By  GERTRUDE  ELISABETH  HALE.  Sq. 
12mo.  Illustrated.  Cloth.  85  pages.  For  introduction,  40 
cents. 

The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  tell  some  of  the  most  important  ele- 
mentary facts  of  plant  life  in  such  a  way  as  to  appeal  to  the  child's 
imagination  and  curiosity. 

GLIMPSES   AT   THE  PLANT  WORLD.     By  FANNY  D.  BERGEN. 

Fully  illustrated.    Cloth.    156  pages.    For  introduction,  50  cents. 

This  is  a  capital  child's  book,  for  it  covers  quite  an  area  of 
botanical  study  and  presents  a  good  array  of  interesting  facts 
relative  to  plant  life. 

OUTLINES  OF  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  For  the  use  of  teachers, 
or  mothers  studying  with  their  children.  By  JANE  H.  NEWELL. 
Part  I. :  From  Seed  to  Leaf.  Square  12mo.  Cloth.  150  pages. 
Illustrated.  For  introduction,  50  cents. 

Part  II.:  Flower  and  Fruit.   393  pages.    Illustrated.    Cloth.    For 
introduction,  80  cents. 

A  READER  IN  BOTANY.  Selected  and  adapted  from  well-known 
authors.  BY  JANE  H.  NEWELL. 

Part  I. :  From  Seed  to  Leaf.     Cloth.     199  pages.     For  introduc- 
tion, 60  cents. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  supply  a  course  of  reading  calcu- 
lated to  awaken  the  interest  of  the  pupil  in  the  study  of  the  life 
and  habits  of  plants. 

A  READER  IN  BOTANY.  Selected  and  adapted  from  well-known 
authors.  By  JANE  H.  NEWELL. 

Part  II. :  Flower  and  Fruit.     Cloth.     179  pages.     For  introduc- 
tion, 60  cents. 

This  volume  follows  the  first  part  in  supplying  a  course  of  read- 
ing in  Botany  for  pupils  of  the  higher  grades.  It  deals  with  the 
life-habits  of  plants,  especially  as  relating  to  the  flower  and  fruit. 


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